


Hair Trigger

by expelled_sleep_demon



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempted Kidnapping, Depression, Family Issues, M/M, Medical Emergency, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Sharing a Bed, Sibling Bonding, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:46:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/expelled_sleep_demon/pseuds/expelled_sleep_demon
Summary: A junior at Gotham University, Jason finds it difficult concealing his worsening mental health from his family and his friend, Jon Lane Kent. Family secrets are revealed and boundaries are pushed as Jason and Laney struggle to navigate through school, their romantic feelings, and their trauma. Could the reintroduction of Laney Kent be more trouble than it's worth, or is it just what Jason needed to confront the demons of his past?
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Jon Lane Kent & Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 19
Kudos: 31





	1. Monotony

Jason started walking back to his apartment from the campus, taking a shortcut through the park. His phone vibrated in his bag as soon as he entered the building, and he let out a sigh. It continued to buzz as Jason let himself in his apartment, kicked off his shoes, and melted into his couch. He pulled his phone out of his backpack and answered dryly. "Bruce, I just got out of class," Jason mumbled, his eyes closed as he fought the onset of a headache.

"How was school?" Bruce asked. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know, it was the first day of class. We went over the syllabus and-."

"Clark said his son goes to school with you. He just started there too," Bruce interrupted. Jason curled up on the couch and turned the tv on.

"Oh? Is that right?" Jason asked sarcastically. He turned the tv up, and he heard Bruce sigh. "I'm sorry, go on."

"You remember Laney, right?" Bruce asked. Jason made an affirmative noise. "Are you listening?"

"Laney... You told me I couldn't hang out with him anymore after we got caught sneaking into a rated R movie together," Jason replied. Bruce made a noise over the phone as if he was tapping his fingers on the table.

"How are you, Jason?" Bruce asked softly. Jason set his phone down and pulled a pillow over his face. "Jason, are things okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired today," Jason mumbled. Jason could hear Dick's voice in the background.

"Dick wants to say hi," Bruce replied.

Before Jason could say anything, Dick greeted him with an over-enthusiastic, "Hey, Jason! How was class?"

"It was okay, just a bunch of first-day stuff... How are you?" Jason asked. As Dick started speaking, Jason put the phone back down and closed his eyes.

"Are you still there?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, I'm listening," Jason mumbled.

"I know you're probably busy, Jason. I'm gonna let you go," Dick replied, "Goodnight."

"Night, Dick," Jason mumbled, "And tell Dad that I'm fine." Jason heard Dick make an affirmative noise, and he hung up.

He lay there for a while, feeling pressure in his chest, and his eyes burned with tears. He pulled the pillow back over his face, and he let out a whining noise as he succumbed to his tears. Jason felt a duty to his family to seem like he was doing alright, but everything felt meaningless. After allowing himself to cry, he got up and took a shower, putting on a pair of shorts before climbing into bed. He let the tv play in the living room as he lay in his bedroom facing the wall.

Jason fell asleep on an empty stomach and a heavy heart, not really knowing why he felt so terrible. He woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, another nightmare. Jason rolled out of bed and poured himself a glass of water. His phone vibrated once, and he walked over to pick it up. He read it out loud, "You up? It's Laney." Jason plugged his phone back up to the charger and went back to bed without answering.

Jason thought about how hard Bruce was trying to get him to open up about how he felt. Bruce meant well, but even the sound of his voice was enough to remind Jason of his public breakdown. Not only was it humiliating, but it was also the reason why Jason felt he couldn't go back home. It'd been months since the incident, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was a ticking time bomb.

He settled for a restless slumber, waking up to the sound of his alarm in the other room. He slipped on a baseball jersey and a pair of jeans on his way to the bathroom. He turned off his alarm after he brushed his teeth, and he grabbed an orange from a bowl on the kitchen counter.

His phone rang, and he put it on speaker as he ate. "I'm still alive," Jason answered.

"Huh?" the voice answered. "This is Laney."

"Oh, fuck. Ignore that. I thought you were Bruce. Morning," Jason mumbled as he peeled his orange.

"Do you have class this morning?" Laney asked. Jason made an affirmative noise as he ate. "Are you free tonight?"

"Um... Yeah, actually, I am," Jason replied.

"There's a party on the East End tonight, and I can pick you up if you wanna go... Party starts at eight," Laney replied.

Jason finished chewing before answering, "Yeah, sounds good!" He cursed silently, immediately regretting his answer.

"Cool, just text me your address, and I'll be over there at like eight-ish. We can catch up. I guess your dad isn't mad at me anymore," Laney laughed nervously. Jason laughed a little too.

"Guess not... He gave you my number?" Jason asked. He finished up the rest of his orange and went to wash his hands at the sink and grab a pre-made smoothie from the fridge.

"Technically, he gave your number to my dad, who gave it to me. But yeah, I think it's their way of keeping tabs on us," Laney replied, "Guess I'll see you later."

"Catch you later, Lane," Jason replied before hanging up and texting Laney his address.

He grabbed his bag and grabbed his keys before heading out to his class. He drank his smoothie and took the shortcut through the park, and he stopped in front of his classroom. Other students already crowded around the door, some of them talking to each other, others sitting on the ground. Jason finished his smoothie and threw it in the recycling bin.

The professor walked through the students, unlocked the door, and stepped into the small portable building classroom. The students swarmed in behind her. Jason sat close by the door and put his phone on silent. The professor took the role, passed out the syllabus, read through her copy, and set it up for an icebreaker assignment. She handed out an icebreaker bingo sheet and had students go around and fill them out.

"I have more than three siblings," Jason mumbled as he switched worksheets with someone. The icebreaker seemed to drone on for forever. Once it was done, everyone turned in their worksheets and left the classroom. Jason went straight to his next class and went through the same routine he did in the previous two.

As soon as the second class of the day was over, Jason walked to the deli and bought himself lunch while he dreaded a call from one of his family members. His phone rang as soon as he took the first bite, and he answered, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Afternoon."

"Did you talk to Laney?" Bruce asked.

"I did," Jason answered, feigning enthusiasm, "Yeah, we're gonna hang out later." He took another bite.

"Are you eating lunch right now?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah," Jason replied with a mouthful of food in his mouth. Jason finished chewing and took a sip of his soda. Bruce said something to someone in the background. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to ask how you slept," Bruce asked.

"I sleep fine," Jason answered.

He heard a door shut, and Bruce made a noise over the phone. "When are you coming home?" Bruce asked.

"I'm gonna come visit soon," Jason lied, "I'm just busy right now with school and work..."

"Jason, you can come home. We miss you," Bruce whispered. Jason's throat felt tight, and he let out an uncomfortable breath of air.

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna come by as soon as-."

"I don't want to pressure you. I just want to see my son again," Bruce whispered.

Jason threw the rest of his food in the trash and started walking home. "No, yeah... I know. Can we talk about this later? I gotta go get ready to hang out with Lane tonight." Jason felt his chest tighten, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Okay, Jason," Bruce replied. Jason could hear the disappointment in his voice. Once he got to his apartment, he went straight to the bathroom to take his shower.

The cold water calmed his nerves, and he went back to his room to take a nap. He curled up in his bed and slept until he received a call that woke him out of his sleep. "Hello," he groaned.

"You okay?" Laney asked.

"Mm, yeah... I was just taking a nap. What time is it?" Jason asked.

"Seven forty-five... I was calling to tell you I'm here-."

"I'll be right down," Jason interrupted as he jumped out of bed and slipped on some clothes that he laid out for the next day.

"You sure? Because I'm not in a hurry. I can just park and wait-."

"No, really. I'm almost ready anyway," Jason replied as he slipped on his socks and shoes and grabbed his keys. "I'm on my way down."

Laney described his car to Jason as Jason looked across the street. Laney reached over and opened the car door. Jason froze up for a moment at the sight of Laney. "Long time no see, Jay," Laney smiled, "I knew you wouldn't be as short as you were when we were kids, but I also didn't expect you to be built like a tank." Jason laughed and got in the car. Jason hung up his phone and buckled his seatbelt, and Laney stared at him for a while. "What's wrong?" Laney asked.

"What? Nothing," Jason lied. Laney rolled his eyes and started the car.

"One thing you can't do is lie to me. I know your tells," Laney joked, "I'll find out later on anyway." Jason shook his head.

"I'm fine," Jason replied.

"Now, I know something's wrong... Nobody ever just says they're fine," Laney replied, "And it must be dire for your dad to let me speak to you again."

Jason shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Lane, how do you know about a party in the East End anyway?" Jason asked. "Actually, I have two questions. When did you start going to G.U.?"

"In order, I was talking to this girl, and she told me about the party, and I ended up transferring to G.U. because I was bored. I figured I'd bump into you eventually," Laney explained, "I know we were like fourteen last time we hung out, but I imagined you couldn't have changed that much."

Jason stared out of the window until they got to the party, and Laney parked around the corner. He locked the car door, and they made their way through an abandoned warehouse. The music blared, and the lights flashed in their eyes, disorienting them for a moment, and they made their way to the food. There were a couple of pizzas in the corner of the room on a fold-out table, and Jason ate a slice while Laney made their drinks. "I don't drink," Jason turned it down.

"What?" Laney yelled over the music.

"No, thank you!" Jason yelled back. Laney nodded and drank Jason's drink, and he handed his keys over to Jason. Jason shoved the keys in his pocket. Jason ate for a little while, watching out for Laney to keep him out of trouble.

Eventually, Laney managed to pry Jason out of the corner to dance, and instead of letting go once he got Jason on the floor, Laney held onto him and let Jason support his weight. Jason's breath caught, and his heart raced in his chest. "You don't remember," Laney mumbled in Jason's ear as they danced.

"Remember what?" Jason asked. Laney didn't say anything else about the matter. "Laney?"

"I'm gonna get another drink," Laney let go of Jason, and all the life seemed to drain from Jason's body. He didn't realize how good it felt to have someone hold him. He stood there, stuck until Laney returned. "You okay?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "One more dance and we can go, okay?"

Jason nodded, and Laney put a hand on his shoulder and danced with him at arm's length. After the song ended, Laney took Jason's hand and led Jason back outside. "I can drop you off at home and walk back-."

"Let's go eat," Laney slurred, "Come on, let's go." Jason got in the driver's seat and waited for Laney to buckle up before going to a drive-thru. "Tacos!" Laney exclaimed.

Jason chuckled and shushed him as the woman asked for their order. "I'll have an order of chili fries and a coke," Jason paused and looked over at Laney, "What do you want?"   
  
"Tacos!" Laney yelled, and he started dancing.

"What kind?" Jason chuckled.

"I want two of each," Laney answered, "It's important to me."

"Okay," Jason laughed, "Can we get two fish, two chicken, two ground beef, and two vegan tacos?" The woman gave them their total, and they pulled up to the next window. Jason reached for his wallet, and Laney shook his head.

"No! Uh-uh... I'm gonna pay for my best friend," Laney slurred, "Look at this guy, lady. He's not gonna pay for these tacos, no ma'am."

"Laney, shut up," Jason mumbled. Laney gave Jason the money to hand to the cashier. "I'm so sorry about him." Jason took Laney's change and gave it back to him before pulling up to the next window. Jason asked for sauces at the next window, and they parked in the lot and ate.

Laney devoured his tacos, making noises as he ate. "Want one?" Laney asked. Jason shook his head. "Thanks for taking us to get tacos," Laney mumbled, "I know you don't like drive-thru tacos."

"Please don't start crying," Jason whispered as he ate. Laney sniffed.

"Can I have some of your soda?" Laney whimpered. Jason nodded. "Tell me what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"What? No, I'm not sick," Jason replied as he picked over his food with a fork. Laney started on his second taco.

"Then, what's wrong?" Laney asked. Jason shrugged.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jason replied sternly, and Laney burst into tears. He continued to eat as he wept. "Oh god, Laney. Please don't do that."

"You don't remember why our parents stopped letting us hang out," Laney cried. He lay back in the seat with his head back, and Jason adjusted Laney's posture.

"Don't tilt your head back," Jason reminded him, "What do you mean? We snuck into a rated R movie, and our dads said that we couldn't hang out anymore."

"That's not what happened! Jay, talk to your dad..." Laney wiped his tears and went back to eating, but Jason had lost his appetite. "Wanna have a sleepover?"

"Huh?" Jason asked. Laney ignored him and continued to eat until he finished his tacos.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Laney mumbled as he stumbled out of the car. Jason checked the time on his phone and chuckled. "Don't be a wiseass, buddy." Laney pointed at him. Jason covered his laugh and noticed he had eight missed calls from Bruce.

He called his father back, and Bruce answered with an anxious, "Hello?"

"I'm fine. My ringer was off. I'm with Laney right now," Jason replied.

"Thank god, I thought you were upset about our earlier conversation... How are you doing?" Bruce asked. Jason watched Laney come back from the bathroom dancing.

"I'm good," Jason answered, trying to hold back his laugh. Laney slammed his hands on the hood of the car and gestured for Jason to maintain eye contact. Jason succumbed to laughter.

"I just wanted to check in with you. I'll let you go, okay?" Bruce asked.

"Okay," Jason chuckled before hanging up. "Get in the car!" he yelled at Laney while laughing, and Laney got in the car.

"Who were you on the phone with at three in the morning? A girl?" Laney asked.

"No!" Jason exclaimed.

"A guy?" Laney asked.

"My dad. I had eight missed calls from him. I'm surprised he didn't call the police-."

"Why would he do that?" Laney asked.

"Don't worry about it," Jason replied.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Laney asked. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, you can stay at my place," Jason replied as he drove back to his apartment, and they took the stairs. Jason held him steady, and when they got to his apartment, Laney plopped on the couch and passed out. Jason pulled Laney's shoes off and threw a blanket over him.

He took another shower and put pajamas on before going to bed. He woke up a few hours later, just before dawn, to the sound of Laney throwing up in his bathroom. "Laney?" Jason asked. He sat up in bed and listened to Laney vomit a little while longer before getting up to check on him. "Lane? You alive in there?"

"It was definitely the tacos," Laney answered. Jason went to the kitchen and made coffee.

"I wouldn't know," Jason replied, "I never would've done that to myself. Four different kinds of tacos, the rest of my fries, alcohol, and a coke?"

"Don't remind me. You've got quite the little medicine cabinet," Laney stated. Jason opened the door, and Laney rinsed out his mouth. "Gotcha. Your medicine cabinet is locked, by the way."

"Jesus, Lane," Jason mumbled.

"What are you hiding?" Lane asked.

"Nothing, it's just that I don't want people going through my-." Jason's phone rang, interrupting him in the middle of his sentence. "Hold on. Good morning, Bruce," Jason answered.

"How'd you sleep?" Bruce asked.

"Okay. Something wrong?" Jason asked.

Bruce said, "No," and continued on to ask Jason if he had a good time.

"Yeah, I had a great time. It was really nice to see Lane again," Jason answered as Lane posed comically to elicit a laugh from him. Jason covered the phone with his hand and mumbled, "Laney, I swear to god if you don't stop it."

"He spent the night?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, he asked to stay over because it was too late for me to walk back after dropping him off in his car... Why?" Jason asked. Lane walked past Jason and over to the kitchen.  
  
"Do you have an aspirin?" Laney asked. Jason nodded and unlocked his medicine cabinet. Laney came back over and took an aspirin. "Tell your dad I said hi."

"Tell Laney I said hello," Bruce replied.

"Bruce said hi, Lane," Jason relayed the message as he made his way to the kitchen and started making eggs for breakfast. Laney sat at the counter.

"What's on your schedule for today?" Bruce asked. Jason looked at his calendar.

"Laundry day. Why?" Jason asked.

"I was thinking maybe we could have dinner later on today?" Bruce suggested. Jason made a hesitant noise, and Bruce made an affirmative noise. "Jason, if you don't want to go-."

"Don't do that... Don't-. Don't make me feel bad for saying no," Jason replied.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad... I just want to know when you're going to stop avoiding-." Jason hung up the phone and pulled his hair.

"Hey, you okay?" Laney asked. Jason forced a smile.

"Uh-huh, yeah. I'm fine," Jason responded on his way to his bedroom. Laney stopped him before he could close the door. "Let go of the door, Lane. I don't feel like messing around-."

"Jason, what's up with you? It's like it hurts you to laugh now," Laney asked. Jason took a few deep breaths.

"Lane, leave me alone right now. I just need a minute," Jason warned him. His phone rang again, and he tried to shut Laney out.

"What is wrong with you, Jason?" Laney asked.

"Get the hell out of my doorway!" Jason yelled. Lane let go out of shock, and Jason shut the door and sank to the ground before allowing himself to unravel. His hands shook, and his chest felt tight as he held back his tears.

"Jason, I'm gonna give you some space right now... But maybe we should hang out again next week and really talk," Laney whispered through the door. "I'll text you later on." Jason listened as Laney walked away from the door and picked up his keys. As soon as he heard the door shut, he climbed back into bed and lay there wrapped up in his sheets. He listened to his phone ring in the background, but he couldn't move himself to talk to anyone else.


	2. Recap

Jason lay in bed until the late afternoon. He worried about how Bruce would react to the end of their conversation. He tidied up his apartment and allowed his phone to ring in the background until he could no longer tolerate the noise. "What?" Jason snapped as he answered his phone.

"Jason, you have no idea how worried everyone's been!" Dick yelled at him.

"How is it that I have to answer every single time one of you calls? I just want some time to myself-."

"Then say that, Jason! Jesus Christ! None of us know where you live, where you work, nothing! So, of course, we're all gonna panic when you hang up like that!" Dick chastised him.

"I get that, I do, but has it occurred to any of you that calling me four times a day every day to make sure I'm alive isn't helping me at all?" Jason asked. He heard Dick sigh on the other line.

"Why can't you just tell him this yourself? Why's it so hard for you to talk to him?" Dick asked.

"Because it's not his fault. It's nobody's fault but mine," Jason replied, "I just need a break. I'm tired."

"What are you tired of?" Dick asked the emotion rose in his voice.

Jason sat back on his bed and took a deep breath.

"I just want everyone to take a break from worrying about me all the time. I need a break from it... Aren't you tired, Dick?" Jason asked.

"Of course, I'm not. That's what families do. We worry about each other, which is the only way we can show that we love each other in this family," Dick whispered, "But if you need some time to breathe, I'll tell him that. We can give you that." Jason relaxed, and his shoulders dropped.

"Thanks," Jason whispered.

"But tell me one thing before I hang up... How was it hanging out with Laney after all these years?" Dick asked.

"It was fun... Like nothing changed," Jason replied. He caught himself smiling.

"Nothing?" Dick asked. Jason furrowed his brows.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Nevermind," Dick replied before hanging up. Jason went about the rest of his day, cleaning up and getting ready to go to the laundry room. Still, he wondered about all the cryptic messages Dick and Laney conveyed to him.

Jason decided to call Laney back on his way down to the laundry room, but he didn't exactly know what to say to him. "Ooh, he misses me," Laney teased.

"What did you mean last night?" Jason asked.

"I don't remember anything about last night," Laney answered without hesitation.

"Liar," Jason replied as he loaded the washing machine and put his quarters in. "Laney, when we were kids and got in trouble for sneaking into that movie, our dads told us we couldn't hang out anymore."

"It doesn't matter why anymore, Jason. We can hang out now," Laney answered sweetly, "That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"I'm starting to think that our parents told us two very different stories... Laney, please," Jason pleaded.

"I didn't know what I was talking about last night. I was just being my usual troublemaking self... I wasn't gonna tell you this, but I only got drunk because I didn't know what to say to you," Laney confessed, "I wasn't even sure if you would be anything like what I remember."

"Was I?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I forgot how fun it was pissing you off. Except you're taller than me now, so instead of crying about it, you could just knock my head off," Laney laughed. Jason snickered.

Jason sat down on a bench while his clothes were in the wash. "Still an asshole," Jason laughed.

"Remember the day we met, and I made you cry?" Laney laughed.

"Yeah, you told me that veal was human meat," Jason replied. Laney hollered on the other line, still laughing at Jason. "I vividly remember throwing up immediately after you told me that."

"I'm sorry. That was terrible, but why did you believe me? Why would a restaurant serve human meat?" Laney took a deep breath.

Jason chuckled. "Okay, you have a point. Remember when I invited you to stay the night after that just so I could give you a wet willy while you were sleeping?" Jason laughed.   
  
"Isn't that how we ended up being friends?" Laney asked.

"No, we became friends after Christmas when-. No, it was New Year's," Jason messed with his hair.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Christmas because you asked me why I was so mean to you all the time," Laney's voice softened, "You remember, don't you?" Jason didn't answer. Laney laughed uncomfortably. "I think your dad thought we were gonna end up killing each other before we made it to high school."

"I used to think about it before we were friends," Jason replied.

"Think about what?" Laney asked.

"Killing you," Jason answered casually. He got up and checked on his clothes during the awkward silence. Jason broke the silence with a laugh. "Lane?" Jason asked seriously.

"What?" Laney asked.

Jason kicked at nothing. "I haven't had fun in a really long time, but I had a lot of fun last night. Thanks for that," Jason mumbled, "And sorry for kicking you out earlier. It wasn't you-."

"Don't finish that sentence. Otherwise, I'm gonna think you're breaking up with me," Laney joked. He paused before changing his tone, "I know you, Jay. I knew you weren't okay when my dad gave me your number. I know you probably don't want me to come back today, but whenever you need somebody to just listen, I'm here."

Jason allowed the silence to flood in for a little while, and he found himself thinking about Laney's full weight on him as they held each other on the dancefloor that night. "Still there?" Laney asked.

"Mhm... Laney, you should come back later on today," Jason whispered. Laney made an affirmative noise.

"Ooh, should I wear my negligee this time?" Laney teased.

"Fuck off," Jason laughed, "What if I had terrible news?"

"Well, I bet you feel less terrible now. Do you think your dad will let us stay up past nine this time?"

"Bye, Lane," Jason rolled his eyes.

"Bye, Jay," Laney replied and hung up. Jason moved his laundry from the washer to a dryer, and he sat back down on the bench. A woman that lived on his floor came in and put her clothes in the washer.

"Having a yucky day again, sweetie?" she asked. Jason shook his head.

"I was, but I think I'll be okay now," Jason smiled.

The woman smiled and pulled two magazines out of her bag and handed one of them to Jason. She opened her magazine and held it up by Jason's face. "Have you ever thought about adding olive green to your wardrobe?" she asked. Jason chuckled.

"Are you telling me that I'm an autumn?" Jason asked. She nodded and looked back at the color scheme.

"I don't know about this orange on you, though... Or yellow..." She looked back and forth at him and the magazine.

"I hate to be weird, but how do you open up to an old friend when you haven't seen them for a long time?" Jason asked.

"That's a silly question. I have a better question for you. What is the risk of opening up to your friend?" she asked.

"I just don't want him to worry about me. I don't wanna feel weird about talking to him..." Jason trailed off.

"I think things might already be weird between the both of you. You seem like you're out of sorts today. I think if this person is really your friend, things won't be weird at all," she replied, "Do you still journal as we talked about?"

"I try to, but writing it down freaks me out. I just feel like I'm saying something dumb," Jason replied. They talked for a while until Jason's clothes finished drying, and he stayed to fold. After he finished folding, he said his goodbyes and made his way back to his apartment to make himself something to eat.

He felt a little sick to his stomach, being that he hadn't eaten all day. He made himself a sandwich and a cup of tea. He turned the tv on and allowed his mind to drift back to the day Jason and Laney got in trouble. He could only remember sneaking into the movie theater. Jason couldn't remember how they got caught or anything else from that day. That day seemed so important to him, and yet, he couldn't remember anything about it.

Jason got up, made himself some dinner, and soaked in the bath for a while. He closed his eyes and sank under the water, holding his breath and counting backward from one-hundred. By the time Jason got to zero, his head was clear. He pulled the plug and stood up slowly, grabbing his towel and drying his face.

Laney knocked on his door, and he wrapped the towel around his waist before going to answer. "You're early," Jason stated as he opened the door. Lane cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"What will the neighbors think?" Laney joked as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. Jason made his way back to his room to get dressed. "You went from being like four-foot-six to like six-foot-four. You gotta let me in on how you did that," Laney noted.

"Laboratory explosion!" Jason answered sarcastically from the other room. Laney put his bag on the floor and got comfortable on the couch.

"Some guys just have all the luck," Laney joked, "Listen, Jay... I'm gonna be straight with you. You know how our little brothers are friends?"

"Yeah..." Jason came out of his room in his pajamas and a t-shirt.

"The clumsy one... Uh, Tim, he told Conner that you haven't been home in months. He didn't say why, but he did say that everyone misses you," Laney admitted.

"Oh, well... I'm gonna tell you about that," Jason mumbled as he went straight to the kitchen. Laney kicked his shoes off and lay on the couch.

"If it makes it less awkward, I can tell you about something that I did that made my parents freak out," Laney replied.

"What did you do?" Jason asked. He smiled and turned around to look at Laney.

"That's just what my mom said," Laney laughed, "I got a tattoo. It says 'mom' in a heart on my back."

"No, you don't," Jason laughed.

"You're right, I got a belly button piercing as a gag," Laney replied.

"Got any other lies?" Jason asked.

"Ooh, one more... I didn't run away and try to go to your house after our parents said we couldn't hang out anymore," Laney replied. Jason's smile faded, and he turned back around to the fridge. "So, do you wanna tell me why you won't go home?"

"What?" Jason asked.

"Our brothers are friends. They talk," Laney replied. Jason shrugged.

"I had a rough time with a class last semester... It brought up a lot of bad memories, memories of things I thought I buried. Instead of telling Bruce that I was struggling, I kept it to myself," Jason mumbled. Laney leaned forward and made a noise to indicate that he was listening. "I figured once the semester was over, I'd be fine... But it was worse. We were gonna go on a summer trip, and I just wanted to stay home and be by myself... Get some sleep."

"What happened, Jason?" Laney asked. His voice was nearly unrecognizable to Jason.

Jason swallowed hard. "I couldn't sleep the whole time they were gone, and everyone came home early, asking how I was and what I was planning to do during the summer... And I snapped. I don't remember what happened in between, but I know that Bruce and I got into this huge fight. I don't remember what I said or what I did, but he checked me into the hospital. The day I was discharged was the last time we saw each other in person," Jason's voice broke, and he held his breath.

"Jason... Is that why you don't wanna go home?" Laney asked.

"I want to go home," Jason whimpered as tears streamed down his cheeks, "I just feel like I'm gonna implode every time I talk to him. I don't know why..." Jason couldn't talk through his tears anymore, and he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"It doesn't sound like anyone is holding that against you, buddy," Laney whispered. Jason turned around and held onto Laney.

"I can't go home," Jason wept. Laney let go and backed away.

"I used to think you were just messing with me, but you really don't remember a lot of things... Do you?" Laney asked. Jason wiped his face.

"What?" Jason asked. "What does that have to do with-."

"It doesn't mean anything. I was just thinking out loud," Laney replied, "Besides, from what my brothers say, it sounds like your family misses you."

"It doesn't change what I did... Don't you ever wish you could go back in time and stop yourself before you do something stupid?" Jason asked.

"All the fucking time... But the thing is, we can't. Jason, he's your dad. I really don't think he cares about what you did or why you did it. I think he just wants you to come home," Laney suggested. Jason shook his head.

"It's not that easy. Every day, Lane... Bruce calls me every single day, two times a day in the least. Ever since I left home, I feel like there's so much pressure to go back and pretend that things are normal-."

"Jason, of course, you can't pretend things are normal. No one is asking you to pretend things are okay. Maybe they want to work on things with you," Laney replied, "And I get how you're feeling. I really do. I had a hard time telling my parents about my feelings... But once I did, we really got closer, and it was worth it." Jason sat on the couch and hugged his knees. Laney sat next to him on the sofa and turned the tv on.

Laney's phone rang, and he looked at Jason. "Mind if I get this?" Laney asked. Jason shook his head. "Hey," Laney answered, "Oh no, I'm not home right now... I will when I get home... Uh-huh... I said I wouldn't, Mom... I love you too, bye." Laney hung up.

Jason opened his mouth to speak, and Laney turned to look at him. "Lane... How come nothing's changed?"

"What do you mean?" Laney asked as he changed the channel.

"How is it still easy to talk to you?" Jason asked as he let go of his knees and planted his feet on the floor.

"It's because I get you," Laney replied calmly. He stretched out on the couch, throwing his legs over Jason's lap. "Also, you're not that different from how I remember you." Jason pushed Laney's legs off his lap and went straight to the kitchen.

"I can order some pizza," Jason offered.

"I already did, right before I left. It should be here any minute now," Laney replied.

As soon as the pizza deliverywoman came, Jason paid her and sat on the couch. "What have you been up to, Lane?" Jason asked.

"In the past eight years or-."

"Yeah, sure, Laney," Jason interrupted. Laney took a bite of pizza.

"Well, as you know, I was already on pretty thin ice with my parents when we were fourteen... So, they sent me away to go to school because they thought it'd keep me out of trouble. Fast forward like two years, they let me go back to regular school, and I'm pretty sure I went to my prom at some point... Oh, and I dated a friend of the family, which was kind of nice for a while," Laney replied.

"Oh? For how long?" Jason asked.

"Three years. We broke up two and a half years ago," Laney answered, "And what have you been up to? I know it hasn't been all bad."

"It wasn't. I was in a few plays in high school. I start working on campus pretty soon, and last year I got a xylophone... I don't remember why-."

"Do you still have it?" Laney asked. Jason nodded, and Laney gestured for Jason to go get it. Jason finished his slice of pizza and went to wash his hands. He went to his room and came out with a dark wooden xylophone.

"You can have it if you want-."

"No fucking way. Hold on," Laney replied, wiping his hands on a napkin and grabbed the mallets. "I had this roommate a few years ago that got a xylophone as a present from his parents because he said he was bored, and he was gonna throw it out, and well..." Laney played a tune on the xylophone.

"You play the xylophone?" Jason asked as he went back to eating. Laney nodded, smiling a devilish half-smile. For a while, Jason almost forgot they'd ever been apart.

As the night went on, Jason and Laney talked to each other about just about everything. Around midnight, Jason got up to turn the lights down, stopping as soon as he heard Laney mumble something. "Say what, Lane?" Jason asked.

"I didn't have any real friends until I met you. I mean, I've got some really great friends now, but you and me, we were partners in crime," Laney whispered. Jason smiled and nodded. "Did you really used to think about killing me?" Laney asked.

Jason grabbed some blankets from his closet and gave them to Laney. "Oh yeah," Jason laughed, "Remember when you put that rubber spider in my bed? I thought about smothering you with a pillow, but I wasn't sure I'd get away with it. Why? You never thought about it?"

"I never really got mad at you... Except for when you gave me a wet willy, that was disgusting, and you didn't have to spit on me after," Laney laughed, "I've never seen anyone that angry in my whole life."

"Oh, Lane, the couch is a pullout," Jason pointed out. Laney got up and looked at the couch.

"Oh, it is," Laney replied as he moved Jason's coffee table and pulled the couch bed out. "Turning in?"

Jason nodded. "Goodnight, Laney."

"Night," Laney replied.

Laney lay awake for a little while after Jason went to bed before sending a text to someone. By the time Jason woke up, Laney was gone.


	3. Heads or Tails

A few days later, as Jason got ready for school, he decided to call Bruce out of curiosity. Bruce answered the phone immediately, apologizing for their last conversation. "Good morning," Jason greeted him.  
  
"You're up early. Is something wrong?" Bruce asked. Jason grabbed his lunch from the refrigerator.  
  
"No, I just wanted to call you," Jason replied, "I'm getting ready to go to work, and I wanted to thank you for respecting my space this weekend."  
  
Bruce didn't say anything for a moment. Instead, he cleared his throat. Jason put his phone on speaker as he poured coffee into a thermos. "You didn't tell Lane about what happened?" Jason asked.  
  
"No, I didn't tell him anything. I just asked Clark to give Laney your number, nothing else... Did you want to talk to me about what happened?" Bruce asked, and Jason started feeling an uncomfortable tightness in his chest.  
  
"Kind of... But, not now. Maybe a different time?" Jason asked. Bruce made an affirmative noise. "I just wanted you to know that I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too, Jason," Bruce whispered, "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Mhm," Jason answered as he slipped his shoes on.  
  
"Do you think maybe we can have lunch over the phone later?" Bruce asked.  
  
Jason grabbed his keys and shoved them in his pocket. "My break's at noon," Jason replied, "How's everybody?"  
  
"They're okay. Dick went back to San Francisco yesterday," Bruce replied, "Damian's at his mother's... Tim's out of town with a few of his friends... But they're fine. Everyone's doing alright."  
  
"That's good," Jason whispered as he made his way out of his apartment, "I'll talk to you at lunch?"  
  
"I'll be looking forward to it," Bruce replied.  
  
Jason made a soft noise and hung up before entering the tutoring center and clocking in. He set up his table, and a girl sat down across from him. He worked with her on a writing assignment for nearly thirty minutes, and she was immediately replaced with an older man.  
  
"Good afternoon, young man. I don't need much help today. I just wanted to ask if you had any instructions for the Chicago format," the man asked. Jason nodded and took out a yellow piece of paper, and he explained where the same information could be found online. "Oh, I have one more question. Is the food in the cafeteria any good? I've forgotten my lunch."  
  
"Uh-huh, I wouldn't eat anything from the fridge, but the cooked food is fine," Jason answered. The man smiled and thanked him, going about his way. For nearly an hour, Jason sat with no one else to assist, and he saw someone standing outside the glass doors. He leaned forward to see who it was, and by the time he could make out the face, she was sitting across from him at the table.  
  
"Cass, you don't go here," Jason whispered. She shrugged.  
  
"I didn't follow you. I was waiting for Steph," she replied, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm working," Jason answered, "Steph has a class this early?"  
  
Cass shook her head and tapped on the table. "Can I give you a hug?" Cass asked. Jason smiled and stood up, opening his arms and giving Cass a hug.  
  
"When are you supposed to meet her?" Jason asked.  
  
"Ten minutes from now. I'm early," Cass whispered as she sat back down across from him. "We miss you."  
  
"Well, I work here Monday and Wednesday from eight to two, and Friday from eight to noon... So, I'm here most of the week if you wanna stop by," Jason replied. Cass smiled.  
  
"I think I have to go now, but it was nice to see you," she smiled. Jason waved at her as she left the tutoring center, and he took out his phone and sent a text to Bruce. A few people stopped by asking for writing resources. For the most part, things were quiet.  
  
The day seemed to drag on forever until lunchtime. He left the building and sat on a bench outside.  
  
His phone rang, and he plugged in his headphones, answering with a controlled, "Hello?"  
  
"Did you still want to have lunch?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Mhm, I do... Um, Bruce, I need you to know I've never been mad at you. I'm just struggling with a lot of bad memories right now," Jason confessed. His hands shook as he opened his bag to get his lunch, and Bruce said something over the phone that Jason couldn't hear. "Huh?"  
  
"I'm sorry... I was just a little shocked. Was it something that happened while you were with me?" Bruce asked.  
  
"No, it wasn't you. It's not you... It's-." Jason swallowed hard. "Sorry... It's something I remembered from when I was little." Jason took a deep breath and went on to catalog several years' worth of abuse and torture while in tears. He could hear Bruce set the phone down, and he took another deep breath.  
  
"Jason, I didn't know-."  
  
"It all came flooding back last semester, and I couldn't explain it to you then," Jason mumbled. He felt as if he couldn't catch his breath.  
  
"Jason, I'm glad that you shared this with me today... I'd like to think you're ready to come home now, but I imagine that's not the case just yet. Am I right?" Bruce asked. Jason made an affirmative noise.  
  
"I don't wanna move back, but now that you know what's going on in my head, I'd like to visit," Jason answered. He wiped his face with his sleeve. "I just wanted you to know that I meant what I said about wanting to come home."  
  
"You can come home whenever you want to. Jason, we love you..." Bruce swallowed hard. Jason nodded and took a deep breath.  
  
"I love you too, Bruce," Jason replied and sniffed. Jason started on his lunch, and he could hear Bruce open a soda. "I saw Cass today."  
  
"You did?" Bruce asked. Jason took a bite of his sandwich.  
  
"Uh-huh, it was nice seeing her," Jason added.  
  
"Pastrami?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Tuna, I had pastrami on Thursday," Jason corrected him. They spoke to each other for a little while until they both finished eating, and Jason raised one of his legs and rested his chin on his knee. "It was nice speaking to you today."  
  
"It was nice speaking to you too, Jason," Bruce replied. Jason hung up the phone and finished his lunch.  
  
He drank the rest of his coffee and went back to work. He set up his table once more, and he finished out his shift. He walked across the campus to wait for his class to start and charge his phone.  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Laney sat in a corner in the cafeteria, facetiming his father. "Are you staying out of trouble?" Clark asked. Laney nodded. "How was your weekend?"  
  
"I had a great weekend. I went to a party in the East End with Jay, and I spent most of the weekend at his apartment... I left Sunday morning-." Laney moved closer to the phone to look at Clark.  
  
"What?" Clark asked.  
  
"You're buttering me up because Mom has bad news... Right?" Laney asked.  
  
"What? No," Clark answered. Lois made a noise in the background and took the phone from Clark.  
  
"Hi, Lane," Lois greeted him.  
  
"Mom," Laney replied.  
  
"Don't do that-."  
  
"You're canceling on me, aren't you?" Laney asked. Lois shook her head.  
  
"I'm not canceling on you. I'm rescheduling," Lois replied, "If you can reschedule for any time next week-."  
  
"Why?" Laney asked coldly. Lois took a deep breath. "Don't do that. Don't act like I have no right to be angry about this-."  
  
"I'm not. Laney, I didn't realize that our thing was the same day as Sammy's field trip-."  
  
"So this is about Jon? Why can't Dad chaperone?" Laney asked.  
  
"Because he's covering a story out of town on Friday. Just bear with me. If you reschedule for next week, I'll be there," Lois replied. She softened. "Lane, how's Jason?" Lois sat down on the couch next to Clark.  
  
"Asking the wrong questions, Mom... And the answer to your actual question is no. No, I didn't tell him about the actual reason we weren't allowed to hang out anymore," Laney replied. Clark relaxed his shoulders. "And to your leading question, he's Jason. The same Jason that I've always known."  
  
"I'm glad you kept it to yourself, Lane," Clark replied.  
  
"I'm not happy about it, but everyone knows that already," Laney replied, "I just don't get the point of lying to him. It's not benefitting anyone-."  
  
"Lane, please tell me you're not going to start problems on purpose by telling Jason something he doesn't need to know," Lois sighed.  
  
"I won't cause problems on purpose. It's not like I don't care about Jason..." Laney ate his french fries. "But don't you think that it's wrong that his memory of what happened is a complete lie?"  
  
"It's not for us to say," Lois replied. Laney sighed and picked over his food.  
  
"Anyway, how are the boys?" Laney asked.  
  
"Sammy's running for class president, and Chris just joined an afterschool club," Clark answered.  
  
"So, that's why no one's home yet?" Laney asked. He finished his milkshake and tapped the bottom of the cup against the table.  
  
"Would you like to share your feelings about being away from home?" Clark asked.  
  
"Do we have to do the whole feelings thing?" Laney asked. Neither parent answered. "Okay, fine. I felt like I was gonna be alone, but it's nice to know that I still have a friend here." Laney paused to wait for their answer, only to see that they were smiling. "Please don't do that... I'm only telling you guys what you already-."  
  
"We love you, Lane," Clark whispered. Lois's eyes softened.  
  
Laney softened as well, and he let out a breath of air.  
  
"I love you guys too... And Mom? I'm gonna reschedule for next Friday, okay?" Laney asked. Lois nodded.  
  
"We've gotta go, but we'll talk again soon," said Clark.  
  
Laney finished his call and threw away his food before going back to his car. His roommate called him on the phone, and he rolled his eyes before answering. "Hi, buddy," Laney answered. The fire alarm beeped in the background.  
  
"How do I put out a grease fire?" she asked.  
  
"Jesus Christ. Okay, put the cookie pan over it or take some salt and throw it on the fire. I'm on my way home right now," Laney replied as he put his phone on speaker and set it down in the cupholder. "I've got you on speaker..." Laney pinched the bridge of his nose and held back a laugh. She started crying.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Lane, I completely forgot that I left the fire on and-."  
  
"Sylvia. Sylvia, listen, it was an honest mistake. No one's mad at you. I was already on my way home," Laney reassured, "I bet you it's not even that bad." He couldn't make out the next few things that she said, so he chose not to answer until he got to their building.  
  
"The whole apartment is hazy-."  
  
"I'm almost up there. Just relax, okay?" Laney raised his voice while maintaining a gentle tone. He went up the stairs, and he hung up the phone as he let himself in. He immediately started choking from the smoke in the room.  
  
"Sylvie! Gus Gus! I'm home," Laney called, and Sylvia came off the fire escape in tears holding Laney's cat. He took off his sweater and swung it at the smoke alarm.  
  
"Lane, I'm so sorry. I left the stove for five seconds to go to the bathroom-." Laney took his cat. "Come on, let's go back to the fire escape," Laney suggested. They climbed out the window to the fire escape. "Don't worry, everybody does this." He sat down, and she sat close by him.  
  
Sylvia didn't say anything at first. She just sat next to him, wiping the tears from her eyes, and Laney took a deep breath. "Need a hug?" Laney asked. She nodded, and he put his arm over her.  
  
"I thought you would be mad that I scared Gus," she whispered.  
  
"Gus is fine. Thanks for taking him outside," Laney replied as he rubbed Gus's ears. "It sounds like you had a rough day. Are you okay?"  
  
She shrugged. "I just miss my mom," Sylvia whispered, "I know I can call her, but it's not really the same as seeing her in person."  
  
"I understand that... I really do," Laney whispered.  
  
"But you're so good at living on your own," Sylvia replied.  
  
"It took a long time to learn how to live alone," Laney explained, "I was in a boarding school for two years, I lived in a dorm my freshman year in Metropolis, so I've had a lot of experience living away from home... But I know what it feels like to be homesick."  
  
"How long did it take you to stop missing home?" Sylvia asked. Laney shrugged.  
  
"A long time, but it's normal," Laney whispered, "Have you made any friends here yet?" Sylvia mumbled something and made her way back inside. "Huh?" Laney asked. He let Gus back in the house and made his way inside. "Was that a touchy subject?"  
  
"I have a girlfriend here," Sylvia answered out loud. Laney cocked his head.  
  
"Wait, have you not ever said that out loud before?" Laney asked. She nodded. "Oh. Oh! Sylvia, listen, if you ever want to invite your girlfriend over, this is just as much your apartment as it is mine."  
  
"So, you don't have a problem with me-."  
  
"I have no problems with you. You're a great roommate," Laney replied as he threw the charred pot in the trash. "Even if you almost burned our apartment to the ground today." Sylvia laughed. "I'll order in."


	4. Bitter

Laney fell into a restless slumber sometime after dinner, unable to shake a certain uneasiness in his stomach. He'd been a light sleeper most of his life, and it had only gotten worse since he was in boarding school. Sometimes Laney would awaken in a panic, unsure of his location. Other times he would wake up choking. Sleeping was never one of his strong suits.  
  
Laney gave up the fight for sleep after having a nightmare at around three a.m., and he checked all the windows to make sure they were locked. He didn't check them often, but he remembered they'd all been opened earlier in the day. His phone buzzed, and he went back to his bedroom to answer his text, but seeing that it was Lois, he decided to reply with a call.  
  
"Mom?" Laney asked.  
  
"What are you doing up?" Lois asked.  
  
"Mom, you texted me-."  
  
"Because I didn't want to forget to text you," Lois replied, "Why are you awake?"  
  
Laney plopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I can't sleep..."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Lois asked. Laney took a deep breath as he watched the ceiling get smaller and smaller. "Lane?"  
  
"Mom, I um... I-. Why are you awake?" Laney asked.  
  
"I'm working on an article... What's the matter, Cricket?" Lois asked. Laney smiled.  
  
"Cricket? You haven't called me that since I was sixteen," Laney whispered.  
  
"You're skirting around the question," Lois whispered, "Unless you'd rather talk to Dad?"  
  
"I don't wanna talk to Dad... It's not like I have much to say to him, anyway-."  
  
"Cricket, he loves you. He does-." Laney groaned.  
  
"Not to sound resentful or anything, but he was the one who thought boarding school would be good for me-."  
  
"And he apologized-."  
  
"But he can't take back the two years of nonstop torture that I had to endure there," Laney stopped, realizing that he'd raised his voice at his mother. He'd meant to hold that experience inside himself until he was old and grey, and it had just spilled forth, burying them in an avalanche of silence.  
  
"What do you mean torture?" Lois asked. He sat up and made a weak noise.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Mom... It's over. I was just being bitter-."  
  
"No, I don't think you were. I think that's what's wrong," Lois interrupted, and he could hear her get up. "Clark? Clark, wake up." She closed a door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Clark asked, still half-asleep.  
  
"It's Lane-."  
  
"Mom, don't-."  
  
"Laney, are you alright?" Clark asked.  
  
"I'm fine. Am I on speaker?" Laney asked. Clark made an affirmative noise. "Mom, tell him I'm fine and that you misunderstood me."  
  
"I understood you just fine, Lane. We asked you if something happened when you were at school, and you told us you just wanted to go home-."  
  
"Because I didn't want to talk about it then," Laney answered, "And I really don't like feeling cornered like this."  
  
"Lane... Whatever happened-."  
  
"You love me. I hear you... Really, I do... But it's hard to believe that no one knew there was something wrong. Why is it so important now that you guys know? I came back from school a completely different kid, and you want me to believe that you just didn't notice?" Laney asked.  
  
"Laney, what happened?" Clark asked.  
  
"It doesn't mean anything. None of it does. What would it mean to tell you now?" Laney asked. "It wouldn't change anything. It happened seven years ago. I should be over it-."  
  
"But you're not, so I'd like to understand what happened," Clark took a deep breath, "Laney, I know you don't believe me when I say that I care about fixing the mistake I made, but I do. I shouldn't have sent you away."  
  
"I basically lived in the counselor's office for two years. It was the only way I could get some semblance of compassion, and even then, I could never talk about what went on in the dorms. I wouldn't even know where to start. When I put it into words, it all seems so insignificant-."  
  
"Maybe we can talk about this in person? I get back from my trip on Friday night, and instead of going straight home, I could come and meet you... I think it'd be good for us to just sit and talk things out, just you and me. We could make a weekend out of it," Clark whispered.  
  
Laney took a few deep breaths after remembering how late it was, and he attempted to regain his composure. "That's fine... I'm free on Friday," Laney whispered, "You have to bring an air mattress because our couch isn't comfortable to sleep on."  
  
"Okay. Laney, I promise you that I'll be there on Friday no matter what," Clark reassured him. Laney heard a scratching noise, and he got up to let Gus in his bedroom.  
  
"Hi, Sweet Boy," Laney greeted him as he picked Gus up and carried him back to his bed. "Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Dad."  
  
"Night, Cricket," Lois whispered.  
  
"Night, Laney," Clark replied, and Laney hung up.  
  
"Oh, you just don't know how happy I am to see you. You big goofy boy," Laney whispered in a baby voice, "How are you?"  
  
Gus purred, and Laney put Gus down on the bed, and he stared at his phone screen. Gus curled up by Laney's side until Laney put his phone down. "Think I should try to go back to sleep?" Laney asked. Gus stared at him. "Okay. You're probably right, but can I get your advice on one small thing?" Gus curled up near Laney's pillow. "Okay, that's fine. I'll just go to bed..." Laney trailed off as he lay back down and closed his eyes.  
  
He eventually drifted back off to sleep, waking up only to the feeling of Gus standing on his chest. "Oof, okay-." His alarm went off, startling both him and Gus. "Jeez! Gus Gus, I'm sorry." Laney picked him up and set him aside. "Time to start the day." Laney rolled out of bed and grabbed his work uniform from his clothing rack.  
  
Sylvia knocked on Laney's door, and he asked her to come in. "Laney, do you still have Friday off?" Sylvia asked.  
  
"Yeah, why? Do you need me to give up my off day?" he asked. She shook her head.  
  
"No, I just wanted to know if you could give me a ride to my friend's place-."  
  
"You can say your girlfriend, and sure. Do you need me to pick you up at a specific time, or will she drop you back off here?" Laney asked. Sylvia fidgeted with her hands.  
  
"I'll be gone for the weekend. We're going to the Wedgewood Museum, then the football game, and then we're going out of town until Sunday afternoon," Sylvia replied.  
  
"Wedgewood's a cool place. You'll like it," Laney smiled.  
  
"Hey, are you okay? I didn't want to say anything, but I thought I heard you arguing," Sylvia whispered. Laney nodded.  
  
"Mhm... Yeah, actually, I forgot to tell you. My mom canceled on me, but my dad wants to spend time with me so we can rebuild our relationship," Laney confessed.  
  
"You want me to stick around to be a buffer?" Sylvia asked. Laney shook his head.  
  
"It's alright. I'm behind a lot of the friction between us. Honestly, it's a good thing you don't have to be in the middle of this," Laney whispered, "Because up until now, I think I've been a tolerable roommate." Sylvia placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"It'll be okay," she whispered. Laney smiled at her.  
  
Laney went to the bathroom and got ready for work. He messed with his hair in the mirror and sighed. "It'll only be a problem if I make it one," Laney whispered to himself. His phone rang, and he answered the phone with his knuckle, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Lane. You busy?" Jason asked.  
  
Laney put a smile on his face, even though he knew Jason couldn't see him before answering with a warm, "Hey, no, I'm not super busy. I've got a little time before I have to go to work. What's up?"  
  
"What's wrong?" Jason asked.  
  
"Huh?" Laney asked.  
  
"I can hear it in your voice. Something's wrong-."  
  
"How do you do that?" Laney asked. Jason chuckled.  
  
"Well, you haven't made a single smart-ass comment since you answered... What's up?" Jason asked.  
  
"It's nothing terrible. My dad and I are finally gonna talk about what happened with me in boarding school... It's not my idea of a good time, but I get that he wants things to be okay between us," Laney confessed.  
  
"I didn't know you guys weren't close anymore-."  
  
"It's not really like that. It's just that I'm still mad that it was my dad who sent me away, you know? I mean, I don't know if I would've held it against my mom because we butt heads all the time, but it was him... You know what I mean?" Laney asked. Jason made an affirmative noise.  
  
"No, I think I understand. What happened to where Mr. Kent sent you away? Was it because of the movie-."  
  
"No, not really. I was already getting in trouble at school for fighting and a bunch of other stupid stuff, and it only got a little bit worse without you to tell me when I was being a jerk. I came home one day on a suspension for fighting, and he'd finally had it with me," Laney explained.  
  
"You weren't that big of a jerk, not to me, anyway. I mean, you were a little mean-spirited, but once we became friends, you were a good guy," Jason whispered. Laney went back to messing with his hair. "Laney?"  
  
"Yeah?" Laney answered. He no longer attempted to conceal the worry in his voice.  
  
"You don't have to talk to him now if you don't feel like it," Jason whispered.  
  
"The thing is, I know he wants to make things right, and I'd love to be close to him... But I'm still pissed off," Laney gelled his hair back, "And like you know my dad, he's like this big teddy bear of a guy, and I know what's gonna happen. He's gonna sit there and listen to me complain, and he's gonna say something really understanding, and I'm gonna feel like a huge asshole for still being angry at the nicest guy in the world."  
  
Jason chuckled. "I'm sorry, no, really... It's just that I really do get that, but Laney, you're forgetting one thing... You are an asshole," Jason laughed.  
  
"I can't stand you, you know that?" Laney chuckled, "But I guess you're right. It is kind of on-brand for me. So when's our next date-." He could hear Jason choking on the call. "You never take me out anymore... I feel so cheap."  
  
Jason continued to cough as he laughed. "I hate you," Jason laughed.  
  
"What'd you call for on this awful Tuesday morning?" Laney asked as he washed his hands and dried them on his towel.  
  
"Oh, I was gonna ask if you were going to the movie screening on campus Friday night, but I know you're busy this weekend," Jason replied, "And hey, try not to be too much of a jerk to your dad."  
  
"Okay, honey. Well, I've gotta go to work. I'll see you later," Laney replied.  
  
"Later," Jason answered as he hung up.  
  
Laney opened the bathroom door, and he put the kettle on. "Sylvie, do you want some tea before I go?" he asked. Sylvia shook her head.  
  
He waited until the kettle whistled to make himself some oatmeal in a thermos and a cup of tea. "Laney, I was thinking... You should bring your dad to the football game," Sylvia suggested. Her enthusiasm seemed almost childlike to Laney, and he chuckled without even realizing it. Her smile faded. "Does he not like football?"  
  
"Oh, he does, I think. Actually, it's a great idea. I was just laughing because that was a really nice thought... But I don't think I can put off talking to him much longer," Laney smiled, "Oh! I almost forgot to ask if you remembered to lock your window back?" Sylvia nodded. "It's locked?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, it is... Has anybody ever told you how overprotective you are?" Sylvia asked.  
  
"Only my roommate, but it's because she's kind of like a sister to me," Laney replied as he playfully punched her shoulder, "Let me triple check your window before I go-."  
  
"Lane. I know how to lock a window," she reassured him. He took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
"Okay, I'll see you later on," Laney replied as he made his way out the door.


	5. Image

Clark hesitated a while before knocking on the door. Laney answered the door and turned to go back to cooking dinner without so much as a greeting. "Where's your roommate?" Clark asked as he shut and locked the door behind him.  
  
"She's out of town for the weekend. Where's your stuff?" Laney asked as he washed his hands and checked on the food in the oven.  
  
"It's in the car. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me staying this weekend?" Clark asked. Laney nodded. "I'm gonna go get my things then, and I'll be right back..."  
  
"Okay... Dad, do you want onion on your burger or no?" Laney asked.  
  
"Onion is fine, thank you," Clark replied as he walked out the door and went back downstairs. He carried his clothes for the weekend in a duffle bag and his air mattress under his arm.  
  
This time, Clark took the elevator instead of the stairs. He opened the door with one hand, and Laney came back over to take the air mattress and set it aside. "How do you like your classes? I remember you said you changed your major," Clark asked.  
  
"I like it... I'm a music therapy major now, by the way," Laney answered as he took the food out of the oven and made Clark's plate. "What're you working on? Anything I should know about?" Laney asked. Clark placed his phone on the counter.  
  
"I interviewed an influencer in Bludhaven," Clark replied, "And we talked about the future of marketing, which used to be your major."  
  
"Yeah? Send me the link when you post it... It sounds interesting," Laney whispered as he poured Clark a glass of milk and poured himself a drink. "Here you go, Dad."  
  
"Thank you," Clark smiled as he bit into his burger. Laney started to eat and took a sip of gin. "You drink?"  
  
"Mhm, not on school nights, though..." Laney replied after taking another sip. "Also, I figured that we would eat before talking about anything serious."  
  
Clark took a sip of his milk. "Oh, no, I wasn't judging you. I was just making an observation," Clark replied, "What's your roommate like?"  
  
"She's a sweet kid. She's a freshman, never lived away from home before, theatre major, and she's a genuinely kind person to be around. It's like having a cool little sister around," Laney answered as he went back to eating, "And don't worry, I'm being nice to her. How're the boys?"  
  
"They're doing good... Chris tries not to show it, but he misses you a lot," Clark confessed, "He won't let anyone move anything on your side of the room."  
  
"I'll talk to him soon," Laney whispered, "I miss him too." They continued to eat in silence for a while, and Laney finished his drink.  
  
"Laney, I can't do this... I just wanna know what happened? I wanna fix things-."  
  
Laney got up and poured himself another glass. "Can I ask you a question first? When you sent me away, why couldn't you just say you loved me back?" Laney asked. He leaned in, tapping his nails on the counter. He took a swig of his second drink.  
  
"Because if I said it, I never would've been able to send you away. All I wanted to do was take it back," Clark whispered, "Lane... What happened?"  
  
"I had no one to hold onto, Dad," Laney started to cry, "And the boys there... They weren't kind to my weakness. I wasn't even there a whole week before they started in on me... And yeah, I probably had it coming to me after all the mean things I'd done in my life, but this was so different." Clark reached for Laney's hand, and Laney recoiled violently. Laney poured a little more gin into his glass. "And my counselor... He was the only one at that school who I could talk to. So, I did, almost every day of those two years... And that's why you couldn't find me on the last day of school..."  
  
"I don't understand," Clark murmured. Laney shook his head.  
  
"No, no... You don't get why that day was so bad for me. I let him take me off-campus. He said he wanted to take me to live with him, and I wanted to go.  
  
We got about an hour away from the school, and we passed by this field, and as much as I wanted to leave with him, I started crying... I told him that I was sorry. He took me back to a restaurant right outside the school and told me to go inside and call the school, and when I got out of the car, he drove off, and I never saw him again," Laney explained as he finished his drink and Clark grabbed the bottle before Laney could pour himself another glass.  
  
"Laney, look at me," Clark pleaded with him, "Laney-."  
  
"It's okay if you hate me for trying to replace you. I want you to be mad at me for it-."  
  
"Why would-."  
  
"I didn't know what else to do! I lost my best friend, I lost you, and all I wanted was someone to say it back," Laney's voice broke, "I just wanted somebody to care."  
  
He jumped as soon as he felt himself being grabbed and embraced, and Laney couldn't move until he heard his father's voice whispering, "I care... I love you, Laney. I love you, and I'm sorry." Laney wrapped his arms around his father, and as soon as Laney regained his composure, he let go.  
  
"I thought I wanted to be mad..." Laney stepped away from the counter and sat on the couch. He let out a few shaky breaths.  
  
"Can I put the gin away now?" Clark asked innocently, and Laney let out a shaky laugh and nodded.  
  
"You can put it back... So, you're not mad at me? You're not gonna say what I did was crazy and irresponsible and that I could've gotten killed?" Laney asked. Clark pushed up his glasses.  
  
"Laney, I'm just happy that we got you back... Do you remember what you were like when we went to that restaurant to come and pick you up?" Clark asked. Laney shook his head. "You looked like you hadn't slept in days. You were shaky, out of it... You kept telling us you'd give anything just to go home and go to bed. You wouldn't say anything else. You slept on the couch in the living room for weeks."  
  
"It took everything in me not to punch Conner in the face for saying I was scared to sleep in my own bed," Laney chuckled.  
  
"I'm glad that you didn't do that," Clark smiled, and he got up to wash his hands, "You're so much like your mother."  
  
"Stubborn?" Laney asked.  
  
"Driven," Clark replied. Laney went to wash his hands in the bathroom, and he dried his hands on the towel.  
  
Laney turned on the tv, and Clark washed the dishes. "Dad, you don't have to-."  
  
"But I'd like to just this once," Clark interrupted. Laney nodded. Clark's phone rang. "That's your mom."  
  
Laney put the phone on speaker. "Hi, Mom..." Laney answered.  
  
"I just wanted to call to see if your father got in alright... And the boys wanted to say goodnight," Lois whispered.  
  
"Hi, Sammy! Hi, Chris!" Laney exclaimed. The boys both spoke at once in a jumble of words that Laney couldn't quite make out.  
  
"You're not mad?" Sammy asked.  
  
"No, I'm not mad. How was your field trip?" Laney asked.  
  
"It was good. We went to the exploratorium," Sammy answered, and he went on to tell Laney about what he did there.  
  
Then Chris mentioned something about missing Laney, and Laney smiled to himself. "I miss you too," Laney whispered.  
  
"We're making pizza for dinner. Did you eat already?" Lois asked.  
  
"Mhm, Laney made burgers," Clark answered, "Oh, and boys make sure to start your homework and chores before Sunday." Chris and Sammy groaned. Clark dried the dishes and put them away in the cupboards.  
  
"Loving the enthusiasm," Lois joked, and she sent the boys back to the kitchen before she asked if things were going alright.  
  
"We're okay," Laney whispered. Lois made a humming noise.  
  
"Good. I love both of you," Lois whispered.  
  
"Love you too, Mom," Laney replied.  
  
"I love you, Lois," Clark replied, and they hung up. Gus came out of Laney's bedroom and stood by Laney's feet.  
  
"Oh, hello, handsome. Dad, this is Gus Gus. Gus Gus, this is Dad," Laney introduced them. Clark followed Laney and Gus to the couch. Laney rested his legs on Clark's lap as he watched tv.  
  
"You still watch The Wonder Years?" Clark asked, and Laney nodded.  
  
"It's kind of what I imagine you were like as a kid," Laney replied.  
  
"Huh," Clark nodded, "That's fair."  
  
They didn't say much as they continued watching tv, and Clark looked over to say something at Laney, and Laney lay fast asleep with his mouth open. "Laney? Lane, wake up." Laney started to snore. He moved Laney's legs and picked up Gus, and moved him to the side. "Laney?" Clark asked a little bit louder, and still, Laney didn't stir. So, Clark picked him up and carried him to bed while his mattress blew up in the living room. He pulled the blankets over Laney and was startled by Laney grabbing his face, still half asleep and pressing a kiss to his cheek.  
  
"You're going already?" Laney whimpered. Clark chuckled, realizing that Laney was a little bit drunk, and he let out a breath. "Don't go. Not yet," Laney wiped a few tears away with his sleeve. "I don't wanna stay here by myself," Laney mumbled as he cried.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm just getting ready to go to bed. I'll be here when you get up," Clark reassured him, "I promised I'd be here the whole weekend, remember?"  
  
Laney turned over on his side, and with his eyes still closed, Laney uttered, "I remember... But I wish you could stay longer," in a half-broken whisper. Clark smiled and pushed Laney's hair back.  
  
"Goodnight, Laney," Clark whispered, and he closed Laney's door on his way out. He unpacked his duffle bag and grabbed took some of his things to the bathroom.  
  
After he took his shower, he looked around for where Laney kept his extra blankets. He found a comforter in a bin in the coat closet and placed it on the mattress. He left the tv on for a little while before taking his glasses off and going to bed.  
  
Clark woke up a few hours around two in the morning to a loud thud. "Fuck," Laney winced, and he opened the door and stumbled to the bathroom in the dark. He came out of the bathroom a minute later, and he stopped in his tracks. "Hiya, Dad," he greeted him casually before going back to bed. Clark turned over on his back and chuckled to himself.  
  
The rest of the night was calm, even for Laney, who couldn't recall the last time he slept so peacefully. He didn't awaken again until eight that morning to the smell of breakfast. He stepped out of his room, and Clark greeted him. "Good morning, how're you feeling?" Clark asked.  
  
"I don't remember going to bed," Laney yawned.  
  
"I carried you to bed," Clark answered as he flipped their pancakes.  
  
"Well, that's embarrassing..." Laney went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and he came back just as Clark finished making his plate.  
  
"Did you mean what you said about wishing I could stay longer?" Clark asked.  
  
Laney dug into his breakfast and shrugged, "I kind of remember that... Hey, Dad? I really am glad that you came this weekend. I know I wanted to leave things alone, but it means a lot to me that you cared enough to come and spend the weekend with me." Clark took a sip of orange juice.  
  
"It's because I love you. I really do, Laney," Clark answered.  
  
"I love you too, Dad," Laney whispered as he picked over his apples.  
  
Clark reached across the counter and nudged his hand. "Eat your apples," Clark instructed gently. Laney laughed.  
  
"Can I have another sausage?" Laney asked.  
  
"Finish some of your apples, and we'll talk," Clark replied.  
  
Laney ate his pancakes with the apples. "Are you gonna tell Mom about the stuff I said?" he asked, his mouth half full.  
  
"Do you want me to?" Clark asked. "She doesn't tell me about what you two talk about in therapy." Laney furrowed his brows. "You didn't know that?"  
  
"I dunno. I figured Mom told you everything. I don't expect either of you to keep secrets from each other on my behalf... I don't talk about you there. I mostly just talk about my nightmares and the fact that I try to bury my feelings out of fear," Laney admitted, "And you can tell Mom what I said. I'll probably bring it up in therapy anyway."  
  
Clark pushed his glasses up and finished his breakfast. "You have nightmares still?" Clark asked.  
  
"Mhm, it's nothing that I can really put into words. I just know that some of them are caused by sleep apnea... And before you say it, Mom is already trying to force me to get a CPAP machine. It's not that bad-."  
  
"Laney, I just heard you say you don't really need to breathe while you sleep-."  
  
"Oh, Dad, come on. You know that's not what I said," Laney replied as he went back to eating. Clark took a deep breath.  
  
"Sorry, but I'd feel a lot better if I knew you were doing something about that," Clark replied. Laney put his fork down and started eating his apples with his fingers. "Laney, are you telling me that you go to therapy for sleep apnea?"  
  
"Of course not! I go to therapy because I compartmentalize," Laney snapped, "I started feeling like I had to be completely different people at school, at home, at work, just to survive. I can't date, I can't ask for help outside of therapy... I feel like I'm just waiting until the next party so that I can self-destruct... And I called Mom, telling her that I wanted to die on New Year's Eve last year, and she picked me up from the pier." Laney swallowed hard. Clark put his fork down.  
  
"Jonathan... I didn't know-."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm working through it... It's not as bad as it was before, but I still struggle," Laney whispered, "I thought you knew that much, at least."  
  
"I didn't know any of it. Laney, if you think that I don't think your feelings are important-."  
  
"That's not the problem. It's the fact that I remember how it felt to be able to tell you this stuff, and now I feel like I want to tell you when I don't feel good," Laney coughed into his elbow, "But I feel like I don't deserve it anymore."  
  
"Don't deserve what?" Clark asked.  
  
"I don't deserve to talk to you about things," Laney replied, "And I know Mom tries, but she and I are so much alike that I feel like talking to her is the same as talking to myself."  
  
"Laney, I love talking to you kids. I like knowing what's going on. Even in Conner's life, and let me tell you, sometimes I wish there were things that he would keep to himself," Clark joked, and Laney let out a little laugh. "And I'd pick arguing with you over whatever we've been doing for the past couple of years. I missed being able to go beyond just small talk with you.  
  
I like knowing that you hate the space that's grown between us just as much as I do... And if you want me to do all the work and ask all the questions, I'll do that. Okay?" Laney forced his tears back and nodded, and Clark got up and embraced him just as he did the night before. Laney shut his eyes and let out a sigh as he let his father hold him.


	6. Ring

"Dad, what are you doing?" Laney asked. Clark sat on the fire escape typing something on his laptop. "Dad?"  
  
"It's such a nice day. We should go do something," Clark whispered, "Do you still like to eat at Taco Whiz?"  
  
Laney smiled. "Mhm, but what are you working on? Is it the article?" Laney asked. Clark shook his head.  
  
"I'm looking at the cost of a CPAP machine-."  
  
"Dad, we talked about that over breakfast-."  
  
"I know, but I would just feel better if I knew why you didn't want one," Clark asked, "I think our insurance would cover it. I could make a call and-."  
  
"I kind of didn't want to make a big deal out of it-."  
  
"Can I bargain with you on this? Is there anything that I can say or do to get you to discuss this with me like an adult?" Clark asked.  
  
"Would it help you sleep at night if I made an appointment to talk to my doctor about getting a CPAP?" Laney asked. Clark nodded. "Fine, but only because I don't want to argue about it." Laney went into his room and changed out of his pajamas.  
  
"You promise?" Clark asked.  
  
"Dad, I promise," Laney replied, "Now what are we doing today?"  
  
"Do you wanna take a walk there?" Clark asked. Laney nodded and waited for Clark to come in from the fire escape. Clark stumbled on the way to get his shoes, and Laney steadied him.  
  
"I wanted to ask you something," Laney mentioned.  
  
"Okay," Clark replied as they stepped out of the apartment. Laney locked up, and they started on their way to the elevator.  
  
"How's Conner doing?" Laney asked.  
  
"He's doing fine. You haven't spoken to him?" Clark asked as he held the elevator for an older woman.  
  
"He gets on my nerves," Laney replied, "So, no, I haven't talked to him this month." Clark chuckled.  
  
"He's doing fine. Did he tell you he's playing at your school in two weeks?" Clark asked.  
  
"I'll text him later and ask if he wants me to come," Laney replied. The elevator opened on the fourth floor, and the woman got off.  
  
"Thank you, young man," she waved at Clark. Clark smiled at her, and they got off on the first floor and started their walk.  
  
"Young man?" Laney chuckled.  
  
"I was young once," Clark joked, and Laney laughed as his phone started to ring.  
  
"Speak of the devil... Hey," Laney answered, and he put the phone on speaker.  
  
"Hi, I've got two questions. Can I borrow your ID, and can I stay the night at your place?" Conner asked.  
  
"One, Dad heard that first question. Two, yeah, you can stay at my place," Laney answered.  
  
"Dad's with you?" Conner asked.  
  
"Hi, Conner," Clark greeted him as he grabbed the back of Laney's shirt. "Laney, watch the cars. Why do you need Laney's ID?"  
  
" Disclaimer: It's not for alcohol... But I am gonna need Laney to take me off speaker before I give him a reason," Conner replied. Laney sighed and turned off the speaker.  
  
"I took you off the speaker," Laney replied.  
  
"I lost my ID, and I kind of scheduled a tattoo appointment in your name," Conner replied.  
  
"That's so stupid. Mom would kill both of us if she found out I helped you do that," Laney replied.  
  
"For real?" Conner whined.  
  
"No," Laney replied.  
  
"Sick, thanks," Conner whispered. Clark led Laney across the street by his forearm as Laney took Conner off the speaker.  
  
"Well, he was telling the truth, Dad. Conner, you're back on speakerphone. Also, you're gonna have to sleep on the floor," Laney replied.  
  
"See you tonight then. Love you, Dad. Later Laney," Conner hung up before they could say anything further. Laney and Clark reached the restaurant soon afterward and stood in line together.  
  
They walked to the park after they got their order, and they sat together. "Don't eat so fast," Clark warned him. Laney took a sip of his soda.  
  
"Hey, Dad. Do you remember when Conner and I were little, and you used to take us on walks in the double stroller?" Laney asked.  
  
"I didn't think you remembered that. You were so little then. Do you remember you used to get upset because you didn't want to sit on the sunny side?" Clark laughed. Laney smiled. "Remember when you were five and insisted that I carry you everywhere because you weren't ready to be a big boy?"  
  
Laney tried to conceal his smile. "And I flipped out when I was nine because I didn't want another little brother... I never was much of a team player-."  
  
"You were a team player. You just never liked us to know it. Think I don't remember when Sammy was a baby, and you used to fall asleep holding him on the couch? Or how you asked to share a room with Christopher because you said you'd wake up if he had a nightmare?" Clark whispered. "You've always been a team player, but I think you're hard on yourself. You and Jason have that in common."  
  
"How do you know?" Laney asked. Clark took a sip of his soda.  
  
"He used to talk to me sometimes. He wouldn't say a lot, but I heard enough to know that you boys are... Perfectly matched," Clark whispered, and Laney tensed up.  
  
"What do you mean?" Laney asked.  
  
"I was only making an observation," Clark replied.  
  
Laney went back to eating, and he fought the urge to address what Clark said, but he knew he had to. "So, I think he's attractive. Is that what you wanted me to say?" Laney asked.  
  
"Actually, I had no idea that you liked him. I just meant that in the context of you both being what the other needed in a friend... How long have you liked him?" Clark asked. Laney shrugged.  
  
"I don't know, since that one Christmas... But I wouldn't do that to him," Laney mumbled and reached to run a hand through his hair.  
  
Clark grabbed his wrist. "Your hands are dirty... And what do you mean?" Clark asked.  
  
"I don't wanna impose my feelings on him while he's going through stuff..." Laney finished his soda off and went back to eating. They sat in the park and ate and talked for nearly an hour, and they started on their way back to Laney's apartment.  
  
Laney turned on the tv while Clark got ready to take his shower. Laney broke into a sweat, and he felt a pain in his chest. He plopped down on the couch and leaned his head back as he tried to catch his breath. Clark stepped out of the bathroom in his pajamas. "Laney, I was thinking we could-."  
  
"Dad," Laney interrupted him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Clark asked.  
  
"My chest hurts," Laney replied. Clark watched as Laney took a few unsteady breaths and clutched his chest.  
  
"Laney, I'm gonna get you an aspirin. Okay, just sit up, and I'll be right back," Clark replied calmly. He grabbed the aspirin from the medicine cabinet and grabbed Laney's soda from the kitchen before going back to the room. "Here you go," Clark whispered and sat next to his son. He waited for a while until Laney relaxed enough to speak. "I think I should stay a few more days with you..." Laney nodded and took a few more deep breaths.  
  
On the other side of Gotham, Jason got a ride up to the manor to surprise Bruce. He found himself caught in the middle of an argument between the driver and someone on the phone. "Listen! I've got this fucking kid in my car right now, and I can't-."  
  
"Shut up! Shut up! I'm gonna take all your shit, and I'm gonna sell it! A-and whatever I can't sell, I'm gonna burn," the woman on the phone yelled, and the call dropped.  
  
Jason didn't say anything. He just watched as the driver pulled up to the gate and he got out of the car. "Thank you," Jason whispered, and Jason waited until the driver was almost out of sight to punch in the code to the gate and let himself in. He walked up the paved driveway all the way to the front door, and he just stood there. Jason swallowed hard and lay his knuckles against the door, careful not to make a sound. After standing there frozen, he knocked. No one answered, so he waited a few seconds and tried again, and the door swung open.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I've got to-. Jason?" Bruce asked. He seemed surprised, but he was obviously dressed to go out. "I was just about to call you."  
  
"Where are you going?" Jason asked.  
  
"Clark's taking Laney to the emergency room," Bruce replied, "Do you want to ride with me?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Did Mr. Kent tell you what happened?" Jason asked, raising his voice without thinking as he followed Bruce to the garage. "Dad?" Jason grabbed Bruce's arm.  
  
"I don't know yet. Jason, what are you doing here?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I wanted to see you guys. See, if you wanted to do something... Why wouldn't he tell you what was wrong with Laney?" Jason asked. Bruce pulled up to the gate and punched in the code so that they could leave, and he shrugged at Jason. "Well, can you tell me why you're just as worried as I am? You never liked Lane-."  
  
"Clark would do the same thing if you were in the emergency room," Bruce answered, "I'm sorry if I seem agitated this morning, but I just got this call a few minutes ago." Jason bit his nails as he looked out the window. "Jason, I'm sorry. I'm not snapping at you... I'm actually happy to see you-."  
  
"It's alright. I'm not even thinking about that," Jason snapped as he dug in his pocket for his phone and made a call.  
  
"Who are you calling?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I'm calling Laney. Maybe he has his phone with him," Jason replied.  
  
Clark answered the phone. "Hello?" Clark answered. "Jason?"  
  
"How is Laney? We're on our way," Jason blurted out without thinking of how concerned he sounded.  
  
"I'm just holding his phone for him while he's getting checked out. I'm more panicked than he is, I think," Clark confessed.  
  
"What happened?" Jason asked. "Is he hurt? Was there an accident?"  
  
"No, it's nothing like that... He-. Laney? Sorry, Jason, hold on... What'd they say?" Clark asked, and Jason could hear Laney's voice in the background, but he couldn't make out what Laney said. "What does that mean?" Clark asked.  
  
"What is Clark saying?" Bruce asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"I don't know-."  
  
The call dropped, and Jason's jaw tightened. "He hung up..." Bruce looked over at Jason, and he opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find anything comforting to say.  
  
"Laney's a good guy, Dad."  
  
"Are we really going to argue about whether or not I like him?" Bruce asked.  
  
"You didn't address it when I said you didn't like him. Don't you think he knows that?" Jason asked. "It wasn't that I didn't like him as a person. I didn't like what he did-."  
  
"What did he do?" Jason asked. "Because I'm starting to feel like you didn't split us up over a rated R movie." Bruce wouldn't look at him. "Dad?"  
  
"Now isn't the time-."  
  
"When?" Jason asked. Bruce turned the radio on, and Jason shut it off. "I'm not a child, Bruce. That doesn't work anymore. Why couldn't I see Laney anymore?"  
  
"Jason now is really not the time to discuss why I don't like him. He's in the hospital, for god's sakes," Bruce whispered.  
  
"Now you're just being evasive-."  
  
"You're right. I am being evasive. I don't want to argue with you today. I really don't want to argue with you at all, and there's nothing I can do to change what happened now... I'm sure you already know," Bruce replied.  
  
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you... And Laney refused to tell me when we hung out, which I guess is your doing somehow, right?" Jason asked. "And for the record, we're arguing right now."  
  
"Do you remember Natalia? Well, he was going to help her meet up with you at the movie theater-."  
  
"And now you're bullshitting me. I haven't seen Natalia since you said she got in trouble for some laundering stuff... Unless she was trying to say-... Pull the fucking car over!" Jason hollered.  
  
"Jason, I'm not gonna pull the car over-."  
  
"You're gonna pull the car over, and we're not gonna argue! We're gonna fight because you know what you did to me," Jason yelled. Bruce sighed.  
  
"What did I do?" Bruce asked.  
  
"You took Laney away! You took my foster mom away! It's like you don't want anyone else in my life-."  
  
"That's not it. Natalia was a criminal and what Laney did was-."  
  
"Kindhearted? Selfless?" Jason asked as Bruce pulled over.  
  
"Reckless. Jason, Laney was reckless. She could've run off and took you away from me," Bruce replied sternly, "And he was going to tell you what happened. I couldn't let him do that-."  
  
"Why the hell not? He was my best friend! Don't you think that I deserved to know the truth? I would've been upset, but I would have gotten over it! I know realistically I wouldn't have run away because I love you, but I would have appreciated you explaining to me that you cared..." Jason took a deep breath and pushed his hair back. "But Laney, as rude and childish and hotheaded as he was back then, he was my very best friend. So, no, I'm not pissed about Natalia. I'm pissed that you held a grudge against my best friend for being my best friend."  
  
"Jason," Bruce whispered.  
  
"You can keep driving now... But you're going to apologize to Laney, and I want you to tell him you appreciate how understanding he's been," Jason commanded. Bruce nodded. "And one more thing, you will never ever come between me and someone I lo-. I care about ever again."  
  
"Wait, Jason. Did you say-."  
  
"I don't want to talk about that with you," Jason replied. The rest of the drive was silent. Bruce didn't plead with him. He only sat in the silence and thought about what Jason said to him.  
  
When they got to the hospital, Clark pulled Bruce aside and talked to him for a second before taking them to Laney's hospital room, where Laney lay in bed talking to a nurse. "I can't stay here three days? What am I gonna do here for three days?" Laney asked.  
  
"Rest," the nurse replied as he turned to leave the room.  
  
Jason's shoulders relaxed as soon as he locked eyes with Laney. "Mind if I talk to Laney alone?" Jason asked. Clark and Bruce stepped outside, and Jason walked over to Laney's bed. "I'm gonna hug you, and you are never allowed to tell anyone about this." He embraced Laney and Laney held onto him.  
  
"I'm fine," Laney reassured him.  
  
Jason let go and took a deep breath. "I asked my dad... And he told me what you tried to do for me. You're the best friend a guy could ask for," Jason whispered. Laney smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you know now. What are you doing here?" Laney asked.  
  
"If one more person asks me that-. I'm here because I heard you were in the hospital," Jason replied. Laney smiled. "What?"  
  
"You love me," Laney joked.  
  
"Actually, I like you, but we'll see where things go," Jason winked, "Hey... In all seriousness, though, why are you in here? Your head seems okay." Jason grabbed Laney's head, and Laney swatted his hands away playfully.  
  
"If I tell you, you'll freak," Laney replied, "I know my mom freaked out..."  
  
"What is it?" Jason asked. "It's gonna freak me out more to not know."  
  
"I'm at risk for a heart attack... The doctor said something about my sleep apnea putting stress on my heart," Laney whispered. Jason sighed.  
  
"Jesus, Laney... A heart attack?" Jason asked.  
  
"It's not like I'm dying or anything, but I can feel my dad stressing from outside. Can we let our parents in so-. You're pissed at our dads, aren't you?" Laney asked. Jason shrugged and turned to go get Clark and Bruce. Laney grabbed his hand. "Don't be like that. They meant well, but you've gotta admit it does feel good to know that you know the truth about your foster mom... That she still cared."  
  
"It does," Jason replied. He could feel the heat build-up in his face as Laney held onto his hand. "Laney? I'm gonna go get our dads." Laney nodded and let go of Jason's hand, only allowing their fingers to touch for a few seconds longer. Jason didn't address it. Instead, he left to find their parents.  
  
"Dad? Mr. Kent?" Jason whispered.  
  
"Are you okay?" Clark asked. Jason nodded and took a deep breath.  
  
"Mhm, I'm fine," Jason lied as Bruce went in to speak to Laney and Clark stuck behind. He sat with Jason in the hallway, and he let out a sigh.  
  
"So you know now?" Clark asked.  
  
"About my mom? Because I'll be fine... I mean, I'm upset, but now I've got other things on my mind," Jason mumbled.


	7. The Babysitter

Jason offered to watch Sammy and Chris while Lois checked on Laney in the hospital, and Lois dropped both boys off. Sammy introduced himself and shook Jason's hand. "You were just a baby the last time I saw you," Jason smiled, "And you must be Christopher... Or do you prefer Chris?"  
  
Chris didn't say anything. His eyes were puffy and red as if he'd cried the whole night before. Lois crouched down and whispered something to him before pressing a kiss to his cheek, and she turned to Sammy and gave him a hug. "I'll be back in a little while, and Conner'll come to pick you up if I'm gone too long," Lois whispered, "Thank you, Jason. I really appreciate this."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I already made dinner," Jason replied.  
  
Lois waved at her sons before leaving the apartment. As soon as the door shut, Sammy asked, "Is Laney in your class?"  
  
"Oh, no. Our majors are different," Jason replied. He noticed that Chris stared at him, but he didn't make a big deal of it.  
  
"I think Laney had a picture of you in our room. He said you took it with him at the fair," Chris mumbled. Jason smiled.  
  
"Yeah, I remember that. Laney made fun of me for not being tall enough to ride the Enterprise, and he ended up getting sick on the ride," Jason chuckled. Sammy laughed too.  
  
"Is Laney really sick?" Chris asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"Well... Um, Lane was cracking jokes as usual, but he is a little bit sick. His doctors know what's wrong, and they're going to do their best to fix things... You guys can get comfortable," Jason replied. Chris swallowed hard as Jason walked over to the kitchen to take their dinner out of the oven.  
  
Sammy sat down on the couch and turned on the tv, and he whispered something to Chris. Jason made the boys' plates, and he poured them something to drink. Jason sat their plates on the table, and he sat at the table with them, getting ready to eat. The three of them stared at the tv as they ate, and Sammy ate his vegetables with his fingers. Chris ate quietly, remembering that Lois told them to be on their best behavior. "Do you like Laney, or do you like-like Laney?" Sammy asked.  
  
"Sammy, don't be rude," Chris whispered and put his fork down.  
  
Jason put his fork down. "Why would you ask that?" Jason replied.  
  
"Because people who take photobooth pictures together are usually a couple," Sammy replied, "Are you and Laney dating?"  
  
"No, we're not dating," Jason whispered as he went back to eating. "We were just really close."  
  
"Like brothers?" Chris asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"No, it was different," Jason whispered. After they finished eating, Chris curled up on one side of Jason's couch and fell asleep.  
  
Sammy stayed awake, waiting for their parents to return.  
  
"It's getting dark," Sammy whispered. Jason checked the time on his phone. "Is my mom gonna come?"  
  
"I think she might. If not, I know your brother, Conner's gonna come pick you guys up," Jason answered. Sammy wiped his eyes, and Jason could tell that something was keeping Sammy from going to sleep. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Does Laney look sick?" Sammy asked. Jason shook his head. "Really?"  
  
"Really, he's doing just fine. I mean, he's still annoying, but I don't think the doctors can do much about that," Jason joked. Sammy smiled. "Between you and me, though, does Laney like-like me? Like, has he said anything about it?"  
  
"I don't think I can tell you that," Sammy whispered, "Laney'd be pretty mad if I told you something like that." Jason nodded.  
  
"That's fair. I guess I'll have to ask Laney later on," Jason whispered.  
  
"Why'd you lie earlier when I asked if you liked Laney?" Jon asked.  
  
"I didn't lie. I just chose not to answer your question. There's a difference," Jason answered, "I waited until you asked a question I wanted to answer, and I answered that, but I never lied to you."  
  
"So you tricked me?" Sammy asked.  
  
"Twice," Jason smiled. He was actually a little proud of himself. Someone knocked on the door, and Jason checked the peephole and let Conner in to pick the boys up.  
  
"Hey, Jason... Christopher, hey buddy?" Conner whispered. He tapped on Chris's nose. "It's time to go." Chris didn't stir. "Fine." Conner picked him up and asked if Jason would follow them to the car.  
  
"Did you see Laney?" Sammy asked. Conner nodded as he carried Chris out the door.  
  
"Yeah, he was tired. He had to drink a lot of water because his stomach was upset, but he's okay," Conner whispered. Chris yawned and opened his eyes.  
  
"Are Mama and Dad still with Laney?" Chris asked. Conner put him down.  
  
"Mhm, the doctors are taking great care of him, but he's exhausted. I think Mom is gonna stay the night with him tonight, and Dad's gonna come to the hotel in a little bit," Conner explained, and he unlocked the car door.  
  
"What did the doctors do?" Chris asked. Conner gestured for the boys to get in the car.  
  
"Nothing too crazy. Don't worry about that," Conner replied, "I'm gonna talk to Jason for a second." He closed the door after the boys got in the car.  
  
"He really as okay as you said?" Jason asked.  
  
"Of course not. I told Chris and Sam that because I didn't want them to freak out. His temperature went up right after the procedure, and then they told my mom something," Conner looked back at the car and smiled at his brothers, "And she flipped out and started yelling at the doctor... Then, my dad left me with Laney to calm Mom down, and Laney kept telling me he was thirsty and the nurses weren't coming. It was a fucking mess."  
  
"I should go up there tomorrow-."  
  
"I don't think they're gonna let anyone see him until his fever goes back down," Conner replied, "Wanna ride with us to the hotel? I kind of have to stop and talk to somebody after I drop them off." Jason nodded.  
  
"Why didn't you just call and ask me to take them to the hotel?" Jason asked.  
  
"Because they would've freaked out if none of us showed up to come and get them. Especially Sammy," Conner whispered. Jason nodded and got in the passenger's seat.  
  
Sammy buckled his seatbelt, and Chris kicked his shoes off. "Your car smells like french fries," Sammy mumbled.  
  
"Hey, I'm gonna drop you guys off at the hotel, and you're gonna get ready for bed. You're not gonna give Jason a hard time about it, and you're gonna share the bed by the couch," Conner commanded.  
  
The car ride was quiet on the way to the hotel, and Conner led the three of them up to the hotel room. Sammy took his backpack off of the bed and went straight to the bathroom. Chris tapped Conner on the shoulder. "Can I call Dad?" Chris asked. Conner nodded and gave Chris his phone.  
  
Jason sat on the couch bed and turned the tv on. Chris sat on the bed and kicked his feet. "Hey, Dad... No, I know..." Chris continued talking on the phone, and Conner kissed the top of Chris's head, and Chris swat him away. "Stop it," Chris whispered.  
  
Sammy came out of the bathroom in his pajamas and hopped on the bed next to Chris. "Can I talk to Dad next?" Sammy asked. Chris nodded and gave him the phone.  
  
"Hi... Uh-huh..." Sammy made a face, and then he started to tear up. "Why not?"  
  
Chris grabbed Sammy's hand and pulled the phone away, and they both listened in on what Clark had to say. Chris started to cry. "But that's not what Mama said-."  
  
"Okay," both boys answered, and they hung up. Conner took his phone back and sort of frowned. Both Sammy and Chris wept, and Conner opened his arms and embraced them.  
  
"I'm gonna be back tonight, and tomorrow we're gonna go get pizza and go to one of those trampoline houses," Conner promised, "Okay? And then I'm gonna let you eat pop rocks and donuts and pop rocks on donuts." He messed up their hair.  
  
The boys couldn't stop crying, and Jason kicked his shoes off and put his feet on the couch.  
Jason pulled a pillow over his face, and he allowed himself to crumble for a minute or so, and he collected himself. "Hey, Conner, it's alright. I've got them," Jason mumbled. Conner nodded and let go of them, and made his way out the door.  
  
Jason looked to see which of the two was more visibly upset, and he asked, "What's wrong?"  
"I shouldn't have said I didn't want to see Laney, but I was scared," Sammy cried.  
  
"When did you say that?" Chris asked, wiping his tears away.  
  
"I didn't say it out loud, but I thought it," Sammy cried.  
  
"That's not why Laney isn't feeling good," Chris reassured him. Jason let out a little breath of air after realizing that the boys would comfort each other. Jason lay on the couch, and the boys continued to talk to each other.  
  
After a while, Chris got up and changed into his pajamas, and Sammy climbed into bed. "Do you like your brothers?" Sammy asked.  
  
"We don't always get along, but yeah. I do like my brothers and my sister," Jason whispered.  
  
"Laney's not always a good big brother... But maybe I'm not a good little brother all the time-."  
  
"No one is, Sammy. I can be terrible to my siblings sometimes. It doesn't mean I don't love them. It's just that if you know someone long enough, you're bound to fall out a few times... Take my sister Cass and me, for example. She's so easy to get along with, but we still argue over the stupidest things sometimes," Jason explained. Sammy turned to him.  
  
"Like what?" he asked.  
  
"Like when I'm tired or upset, I get mad at the way she eats... Or how she would borrow things from me without letting me know. Stupid stuff like that," Jason answered.  
  
"Do you ever apologize?" Sammy asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"Only when I'm so wrong, it warrants an apology. Most of the time, though, we hangout and call it even... Laney doesn't hold grudges. He's never been that way," Jason whispered, "I should know."  
  
"Did you and Laney fight a lot?" Sammy asked.  
  
"All the time. Once, Laney made me so mad that I punched him, and instead of hitting me back, do you know what he did? He told me he wouldn't tell anybody I hit him," Jason whispered.  
  
"Why'd you hit him?" Sammy asked.  
  
"Because he kept bumping into me on purpose, and then he said I was too nice to do anything about it. Laney can be a real jerk sometimes, but he can be sweet. I bet you know that just as well as anyone," Jason whispered. Sammy yawned and nodded.  
  
Chris came out of the bathroom in his pajamas and climbed into bed. "Goodnight," Chris whispered.  
  
"Goodnight," Jason and Sammy replied, but none of them slept. Instead, they all lay there pretending that they weren't worried about Laney until Clark came. He turned the light on low and checked on his sons first.  
  
"Christopher, Sammy, what are you two boys still doing up?" Clark whispered. They almost fell on each other as they rushed to embrace their father. Clark held them tight and kissed the tops of their heads. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"  
  
One of the boys mumbled something, and Clark smiled. "He's the only one of you that went to bed on time. He's fast asleep," Clark whispered.  
  
Jason got up to leave, and Clark held up a finger asking him to wait a moment. After Clark put his sons to sleep, he stepped outside of the room with Jason to speak to him. "What happened at Christmas?" Clark asked. Jason shook his head. "Jason, I'm not asking because I'm upset. I'm asking because he wanted to talk to you and apologize for what happened," Clark explained.  
  
Jason shook his head. "Nothing happened on Christmas," Jason lied, "Look, Mr. Kent, let me know if anything changes with Laney... And tell him that I'll come to see him as soon as they let me." Jason left in a hurry without another word to Clark without realizing he was nearly an hour's walk from home. Once he got to the end of the street, the adrenaline wore off, and he realized that Laney was no longer going to allow him to pretend what happened never happened. He wondered why Laney would want to torment him like that.  
  
Tears filled his eyes as he walked, and he couldn't see the street clearly. He furiously wiped the tears from his eyes as he walked down the sidewalk. Jason wondered if Laney took Bruce's offer to spend time with him just so he could remind Jason of that night. He was hysterical and panicked as he breathlessly walked down the street. Jason wished he was home where he could fall apart in peace, but instead, he was crossing the street blindly in the middle of the night, crying his eyes out.  
  
His phone rang, and he answered, not looking at who was calling because there was no one in the world he could imagine talking to at that moment. "Clark just called me and said you were trying to walk home-."  
  
"Why did he call you and not Bruce?" Jason asked.  
  
"Don't be like that. Tim's gonna come get you. Where are you right now-."  
  
"I don't need a ride. I want to walk home. I need to clear my head-."  
  
"Jason, don't be childish. Where are you? Clark doesn't have to call Dad, but I will," Dick threatened.  
  
"I don't want a ride home," Jason raised his voice.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Dick asked. "Are you worried about Laney?"  
  
"Yes, I'm worried about him... But it's not that," Jason cried, "Why does he want to talk about Christmas?"  
  
"I have a better question: Why are you so afraid to talk about Christmas?" Dick asked.  
  
"Because it was a fucking disaster. I feel like part of Laney wants me to relive that humiliation-."  
  
"What happened? I saw him run out of your room, but you never told me what happened that night-."  
  
"I kissed him, and it was the stupidest, most humiliating experience of my entire life..."  
  
"Because he ran off? But isn't that kind of why you guys are friends now?" Dick asked.  
  
"Well, yeah..." Jason sniffed and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.  
  
"Well, take a second to pull yourself together and try to think about why he would actually want to bring that up... And tell me where you are so I can tell Tim where to pick you up," Dick commanded. Jason nodded to himself and told Dick where he was.  
  
"Mr. Kent did say Laney wanted to apologize to me for Christmas," Jason whispered.  
  
"Uh-huh. Tim said he's on that street. Stay with him and his friends tonight, and get some sleep. Maybe it'll be nice for you to chill over there for the night," Dick replied.  
  
"Maybe..." Jason mumbled.  
  
Tim pulled up and rolled the passenger window down. "Get in, loser, we're going-. Oh shit, are you crying?" Tim asked.  
  
Jason shook his head. Dick hung up, and Jason got in the car. "I'm fine," Jason replied.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tim asked.  
  
"No," Jason replied. Tim shrugged. Jason took a deep breath and dried his face.  
  
"Fine... I heard you went home today," Tim replied.  
  
"And what a shitshow that was. How are you?" Jason asked. Tim shrugged.  
  
"Conner and I got into an argument this morning about laundry, and he said he was gonna spend the night at Lane's. Then Lane had to go to the hospital, and Conner came over to tell me, and we made up... Bart got his head stuck in the stair railing, and we had to call the fire department," Tim listed.  
  
"Is he okay?" Jason asked.  
  
"Oh yeah, he's fine. It was super embarrassing having to explain that to our neighbors, though," Tim replied, "Nice to see you, by the way."


	8. Breakfast

Jason woke up in the middle of the night to someone climbing into the couch bed next to him. "Excuse me?" Jason whispered. Bart covered his face with the back of his forearm and rolled over to stare up at the ceiling before screaming so loud he woke up half his roommates. Tim came out of his room and tapped Bart's hand.  
  
"Hey, we're gonna go back to bed," Tim whispered, his eyes still closed.  
  
"It's not safe," Bart mumbled, "I want to stay here." Tim sighed.  
  
"You can't stay here because we're going back to bed," Tim insisted, "You're sleepwalking again."  
  
"Oh no," Bart mumbled.  
  
"Uh-huh. Ready to go?" Tim asked. Bart nodded, and Tim took his hand and led him back to his room. Jason lay back down, and he drifted back off to sleep.  
  
A few hours after sunrise, Jason's phone rang, and he answered, still half-asleep. "Hello?" Jason grumbled.  
  
"Are you alone?" Laney asked.  
  
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Jason replied. "And no, I'm not alone. I'm at my brother's place. What are you doing up at-."  
  
"Seven in the morning? I've been asleep since eight-thirty. Listen, I'm glad I got to see you yesterday. I guess I can't really say what I want to... How were my brothers yesterday?" Laney asked.  
  
"They were upset, but I think they'll be okay once they see that you're alright," Jason whispered. Laney made a noise over the phone. "Did Conner ever go back to the hotel?"  
  
"No, he's asleep in a chair right here. He's been here all night, and he's probably half the reason any of us got any sleep," Laney confessed.  
  
Jason yawned and stretched out his limbs. "How are you feeling?" Jason asked.  
  
"Jason, did I wake you up?" Laney asked gently.  
  
"Yeah, but it's okay... You okay, Lane?" Jason asked.  
  
Laney took in a sharp breath, and Jason could tell that Laney was crying. "Jason... I'm gonna go," Laney whimpered.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jason asked.  
  
"I think that I should go back to bed," Laney cried.  
  
"Hey, Lane? Lane?" Conner whispered. "What's the matter?"  
  
Laney hung up on Jason, and Jason hugged his knees. Tim came out of his room and stretched out his arms. "Sorry I forgot to tell you, Bart's a sleepwalker," Tim yawned, "Did you just talk to somebody?"  
  
"I talked to Laney... Did you know Conner was at the hospital with him all night?" Jason asked.  
  
"Yeah, I told him to call me if he needed me... Why? Do you want a ride up to the hospital today?" Tim asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"I don't even know if they're gonna let us visit him today-." Tim's phone vibrated.  
  
"Sorry, hold on. It's Conner... Hey," Tim answered, "He is? No... Okay... So, do you want me to bring you something to eat?" Tim ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "How'd you sleep?" Tim looked at Jason and mouthed something at him. "Love you too... See you in like an hour."  
  
Tim punched Jason in the shoulder. "What?" Jason asked.  
  
"What did you say to his brother?" Tim asked.  
  
"Which one, Tim?" Jason asked.  
  
"Laney, Conner said Laney's a mess this morning-."  
  
"He was already like that when he called me. Not crying, but he was sort of off," Jason whispered, "Are you going to the hospital?"  
  
"Not straight there. I'm gonna go get breakfast, but I think Conner and his mom are gonna switch off with Clark and the boys," Tim replied, "He said something about circling back at around noon after he gets a shower and some sleep."  
  
Cassie came out of her room, dressed to go to the gym, and greeted both Tim and Jason. "Conner didn't come home last night, huh?" Cassie asked. Tim shook his head. "Did you tell him we could cancel our gig if his brother is still sick?" Tim nodded.  
  
"I told him last night, but he said he was okay," Tim replied. Cassie opened the fridge and grabbed her water bottle.  
  
"I still think we should cancel or reschedule. Oh, and we're out of milk," Cassie replied. Jason lay back for a few moments before getting up and making his way to their bathroom.  
  
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Laney sat up in bed with his face in his hands. "Lane, what's wrong?" Lois asked. She sat next to him and fixed his hair. "You can talk to me."  
  
Laney took a moment to pull himself together, and he sniffed. "Please don't tell Dad I cried... I just-. I don't know. I guess I freaked out for a second, but I'm okay," Laney mumbled. Lois kissed the top of his head.  
  
"Swear?" Lois asked. Laney nodded and took a deep breath. "You look like you feel a little bit better... I know Conner's relieved. What freaked you out?"  
  
"I wanted to say something, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. Did someone feed Gus Gus? He's all by himself until my roommate gets back tonight," Laney whispered. Lois smiled.  
  
"I will feed Gus Gus, and you can relax. Other than this, how was your weekend going?" Lois asked.  
  
"Are you asking if Dad and I got along?" Laney asked, and she nodded. "Actually, once we got past the worst part, things were going nicely... Did he tell you I got drunk Friday night?"  
  
Lois shook her head as her untroubled face turned to a grimace. "No... He didn't," she replied.  
  
"So I just told on myself... Great... I only mentioned it because I thought Dad already told you, but I guess he thought I was joking. I wanted to ask him to stay a little while longer," Laney confessed, "And I know you guys are only just an hour away, but I feel like things were starting to feel normal again with Dad."  
  
"They were?" Lois asked. A smile spread across her face.  
  
"Yeah, and how come you don't tell him what we talk about in therapy? It's not like it's a secret," Laney replied.  
  
"It feels weird telling him about what you said to me in therapy when I knew you two couldn't hold a full conversation," Lois confessed, "He did tell me about how you ended up at that restaurant when we thought you ran away. Can we talk about that?"  
  
Laney nodded. "I thought that maybe I could run away, and I know it was stupid-."  
  
"It wasn't stupid. I just wanted you to know that none of that was your fault. We can't be mad at you for a decision you made at fifteen-."  
  
"I was sixteen," Laney corrected. Lois pinched his cheek.  
  
"Oh, in that case, what were you thinking, old man?" Lois joked. Laney laughed. "No, but seriously, you get that we love you, right?"  
  
Laney nodded. "I know you guys love me," Laney answered.  
  
"Cricket? Did your counselor-."  
  
"No. Never," Laney answered, "And while I'm telling you about things I've been keeping to myself, I started drinking a few months after I got to boarding school."  
  
"Alcohol? But I-. I should've noticed-."  
  
"It's nobody's fault. I was losing it, Mom. It was bound to happen even if I didn't leave home-."  
  
"You didn't look like yourself. Conner told me you slept on the floor by his bed the first night you came home," Lois whispered, more to herself than to Laney. Laney grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Mom, I'm okay now. Emotionally, I mean. I'm not the same kid you picked up from the pier last year," Laney whispered. A nurse came in with Laney's breakfast, and both he and his mother grew silent. He thanked the nurse, and once she was gone, he started eating.  
  
Lois saw Clark and the boys wave, and she smiled. "Look at who's here to see you," she whispered, "I'll be back in a few hours. Love you." She kissed the top of his head.  
  
"Love you, Mom," Laney whispered as Lois left and Chris came in. Chris greeted Lois and immediately made his way over to Laney's bed, where he embraced him.  
  
Laney held on for a little longer than he usually would, and he relaxed his shoulders. "Are you still sick?" Chris asked. Laney let go and grabbed Chris's nose.  
  
"I'm feeling a little better... Just tired. Did you eat breakfast yet?" Laney asked. Chris nodded. "Think you can get Sammy to come and say hi?" Chris left the room, and Laney watched as his brothers talked outside and walked in with Clark.  
  
"Good morning, Laney," Clark kissed the top of Laney's head.  
  
"Aww! Dad," Laney pretended to be disgusted, eliciting a laugh from both Chris and Sammy. "Gosh, I can't see if that's Sam or not... He's so far away, and he looks a little taller than the one that I know." Sammy came over and hesitated at first before Laney pulled him in for a hug.   
  
"Do you really think I got taller?" Sammy asked. Laney laughed.  
  
"I dunno, maybe a quarter-inch or so," Laney answered honestly.  
  
"What happened?" Chris asked. Laney went back to eating his breakfast, and he looked over at Clark.  
  
"My heart's stressed out, but they say if my fever goes down a little bit more, I might get to go home the day after tomorrow," Laney answered.  
  
"Conner didn't come back last night," Sammy whispered.  
  
"He was with Mom and me. He was making sure I slept okay," Laney whispered, "Turns out I have some really cool little brothers... Who would've thought?"  
  
"What's the food like?" Sammy asked.  
  
"It's gross, but I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, so I'm starved. What'd you guys eat for breakfast? Please tell me that Dad let you guys eat fast food for breakfast," Laney smiled. They nodded, and a nurse came back in to check Laney's temperature.  
  
"How are you feeling this morning?" the nurse asked. Laney nodded.  
  
"'M okay," Laney replied, and she gave him his pills to take with his juice. Laney sighed and took his pills while the nurse stared at Sammy and Chris.  
  
"Big family?" she asked.  
  
"Weird way to say good morning," Laney snapped at her.  
  
"Excuse me?" the nurse asked.  
  
"You come in here, and you don't acknowledge my family or the fact that I'm eating, for that matter. Instead of being polite and maybe just saying 'pardon me' or 'just a moment,' you stare at my brothers and make a sarcastic comment about my family. That's disrespectful," Laney replied.  
  
His heart rate went up on the monitor, and Clark asked as politely as possible for the nurse to step out, and he sent Chris and Sammy out to grab Lois. "Laney, it's alright-."  
  
"It's not alright. That nurse had no right to treat you guys like that-."  
  
"Laney, take a breath. You sound like your mother," Clark smiled. Laney nodded and took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and he pushed his breakfast away. "Finish your breakfast."  
  
"I'm not hungry. I'm tired," Laney whispered as he sank back into his bed. He put his mask back on and turned over.  
  
"Lane, I'm gonna stay here with you. Okay?" Clark asked. Laney made an affirmative noise, and Clark flipped the machine on just as the night nurse showed him, and he smoothed his son's hair down.


	9. Connect

Laney woke up from his nap after having a nightmare, and he pulled the mask off in a panic. "Hey, hey," Conner whispered as he grabbed Laney's wrist. "Relax. What happened earlier? Are you still fucked up about Christmas or something?" Conner asked.  
  
Laney looked around the room and gestured for Conner to be quiet. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone-."  
  
"And I haven't, because I'm not a jerk... But you're not really that good at hiding how you feel about things. Why don't you just tell him?" Conner asked.  
  
Laney sighed. "Because it's not that easy... We've only hung out twice since his dad let go of his grudge against me," Laney whispered.  
  
"Text him," Conner replied.  
  
"See, this is what I meant when I told Dad you get on my nerves-."  
  
Conner chuckled. "Because I'm being honest with you?" he asked.  
  
"No, because you act like everything's so easy," Laney replied.  
  
"It is easy. You're just making it difficult," Conner sighed.  
  
Laney rolled his eyes. "You can be such a know-it-all sometimes. _Look at me. I'm Conner. I'm a social butterfly and one of the most likable people in all of Metropolis and Gotham_ -."  
  
"Shut up," Conner laughed, "And not everyone likes me. You don't like me-."  
  
"I do like you. You just irritate me. Mainly because you have my face and some of my interests, but you're exponentially better than me at literally everything," Laney replied.  
  
"You can't possibly be jealous of me... Laney, you're my older brother. I look up to you, as much as I hate to admit, I do," Conner replied.  
  
Laney pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Please say you're joking because it's gonna make me look like an asshole if you're being serious," Laney mumbled.  
  
"You are an asshole," Conner laughed. Laney smiled. "Can I still borrow your ID, though?"  
  
Laney chuckled and grabbed his wallet from the table to hand Conner his ID, still holding onto it. "Wait, please don't get something ridiculous tattooed on yourself."  
  
"I'm getting twin snakes like in that one dream I had," Conner replied. Laney smiled.  
  
"That sounds cool, actually," Laney admitted, "Where's Dad?"  
  
"Feeding your cat. When did you get a cat?" Conner asked.  
  
"Right before Sylvia moved in-."  
  
"Sylvia? Does Mom know you're living with a girl?" Conner interrupted.  
  
"Sylvia's younger than you, and she has a girlfriend. I don't think Mom will mind... Oh, and I'm gay dingus," Laney punched Conner's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Conner laughed as he rubbed his shoulder, "Hey, lookit." He nudged Laney and pointed to Jason, who stood outside the glass door with an unsure smile on his face. "Talk to him, and I'll keep Dad busy."  
  
Before Laney could say anything, Conner let Jason in and left the two of them alone. "You look good," Jason whispered.  
  
"I look like shit," Laney laughed. Jason grinned and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, you look fucked up," Jason snickered. Laney pushed his hair back, and his features softened as he stared at Jason. "Why do you want to talk about Christmas?"  
  
"Because it was important to me," Laney replied. Jason sat down next to Laney.  
  
"Well, it was humiliating for me," Jason replied.  
  
"Because you misunderstood what was going on... I panicked, Jason," Laney confessed. Jason touched his mouth, and Laney pulled his hand from his face. "Don't do that..." Laney's voice was soft.  
  
"Laney, what are you saying?" Jason asked. "I thought you made things pretty clear back then."  
  
"I didn't make anything clear at all... Things weren't clear to me back then. Jason, I didn't run away because I didn't like you. I ran away because I didn't know I was gay until that moment and then I had to deal with all those feelings... And... Jason, I wasn't ready to come out, not then. How many boys were out when we were growing up?" Laney explained.  
  
"So you did like me? I always thought that you were-." Jason trailed off. "Wait, does that mean I was your first kiss?"  
  
Laney smiled awkwardly and nodded as the machine beeped in the background. Laney looked away and took a few breaths until the machine stopped beeping. Jason raised his hand back to his mouth to bite his nails, and Laney leaned forward and held his hand. "Stop, okay?" Laney whispered. "Was I yours?"  
  
Jason shook his head. "But it meant a lot to me," he whispered.  
  
"Can I kiss you?" Laney whispered so low that Jason could barely hear him. "Jason?" Jason leaned forward, and he hoped that Laney couldn't see how nervous he was. Laney touched the nape of Jason's neck, and he parted his lips as if he wanted to whisper something, only for their lips to meet. They both pulled away for a moment to look at one another, and Laney leaned back in, allowing for a second kiss. They held each other and kissed until they were breathless, their faces were flush, and they touched foreheads. Laney's ears heated up, and his ears rang. They never even heard the machine beep.  
  
Jason giggled as he whispered, "Fuck," faintly into Laney's mouth.  
  
"Did you just fucking giggle?" Laney laughed. Jason turned his head, still allowing their foreheads to touch. "No, let's address that-."  
  
"Don't be a jerk," Jason laughed, "I should go-."  
  
"You don't have to. I already slept twice since you left the last time. Stay a little longer," Laney whispered, "Please."  
  
"I won't move," Jason laughed. Laney touched Jason's face and brushed Jason's cheek with his thumb.  
  
"I probably shouldn't kiss you again," Laney laughed, "I forgot I still have a fever-." Jason held Laney's hand to his face.  
  
"I didn't forget. I just didn't care," Jason murmured as he kissed Laney's palm. "Please..." Laney gave him a quick peck on the lips.  
  
He tensed up. "How long do you think my Mom's been standing there?" Laney asked. Jason turned around and let go of Laney's hand.  
  
"Should I go?" Jason asked. Laney shook his head.  
  
"No, stay. I've been wanting to see you... Just stay," Laney whispered as he gestured for his mom to come in. She opened the door, and a grin spread across her face.  
  
"Hi, Jason," Lois greeted him, " Laney, I met your roommate, Sylvia, and she said she fed Gus Gus, and she hopes you feel better."  
  
"You can ask," Laney replied.  
  
"When did this happen?" Lois asked, pointing to the both of them.  
  
"Literally five minutes ago... How long were you out there?" Laney asked.  
  
"Ten seconds," Lois answered. Jason still couldn't move himself to say anything. "I just wanted to check in with you. Clark said you got upset at the nurse during breakfast."  
  
"Ugh, don't remind me. Christopher and Sammy probably think I'm a huge jerk," Laney groaned.  
  
"The opposite. Sammy and Chris couldn't wait to tell Conner and me all about it," Lois whispered, "That's all I wanted to say. Do you want me to get anything from your apartment later?"  
  
Laney shook his head. "Thanks, Mom. I'm good," he whispered before giving her a hug, and she gave him a thumb's up on the way out the door. "Aww, Mom..."  
  
Jason smiled. "I've always liked your mom," Jason smiled.  
  
"Please tell me you don't-."  
  
"Next topic. Laney, what did we just do?" Jason asked. Laney sighed.  
  
"What do you mean? We kissed, we finally acknowledged how we felt about each other, and at least we know that on both ends, there's some attraction between us two," Laney replied. Jason nodded.  
  
"So, what? Are we gonna go on dates now? Are we dating?" Jason asked.  
  
"Dates? Like going out to eat, going to parties, making out in the coronary care unit?" Laney asked.  
  
Jason shook his head and chuckled. "We did not make out-."  
  
"We did so-."  
  
"Making out would imply tongue. We didn't make out. We kissed. We had two amazing kisses, that was all," Jason replied. Laney smiled bashfully.  
  
"You said they were amazing, so I'll take that," Laney smiled. Jason smiled back.  
  
"And that's coming from the first person that ever kissed you," Jason added.  
  
"Who was your first kiss?" Laney asked.  
  
"Laney, if you're asking if you're the first boy I ever kissed, you are... But my very first kiss was a girl a few months before I met you," Jason whispered. Someone knocked on the glass door, and Laney gestured for them to come in.  
  
"Hey, Christopher," Laney smiled, "Wait... Weren't you with Mom or Dad?"  
  
"I was with Mama... Then, Dad. Can I ask you something?" Chris asked.  
  
Laney nodded. "Is it okay if Jason stays while you ask?" Laney asked.  
  
"Dad said I could spend the weekend with you sometimes if it's okay with you," Chris mumbled, "I know I can't stay this weekend... But maybe when you're feeling better in a few weeks..." Chris fidgeted with his hands, and Laney nodded.  
  
"Of course you can stay over sometimes... On one condition, you have to use your whole bedroom. I don't mean doing your homework in different spots. I mean, enjoy your own room. You and Jon have rooms all to yourselves," Laney whispered, "You should enjoy that."  
  
Chris shook his head, "But, what if you want to come home?"  
  
"I'll be a visitor in your room if you'll have me. I don't live there anymore. I visit," Laney explained, "You can do whatever you want to your room. You're thirteen-years-old, don't you ever think about changing things up a little?"  
  
Jason smiled. "He's right. You could do something really cool with your room now that it's all yours," Jason agreed.  
  
Chris smiled. "Okay," he nodded.  
  
"Do you know if Sammy kept my sweatshirt with the coffee stain on it?" Laney asked. Chris smiled and nodded.  
  
"Mom won't let him wear it to school," Chris whispered. Laney smiled.  
  
"What are you doing today?" Laney asked. "I hope you guys aren't wasting an entire three-day weekend hanging around the hospital."  
  
"It's not a three-day weekend, not really," Chris replied, "But Dad's gonna take us to hang out with Damian."  
  
"Have you guys talked to him lately?" Jason asked. Chris nodded.  
  
"We called him this morning, and he asked me to tell you to call him tonight. I think he's mad," Chris whispered.  
  
"No, that's just his resting voice," Jason joked, "But I'll call him later..."  
  
"What are you doing in school?" Laney asked.  
  
"We're playing tennis in my gym class. I think I'm gonna try out for the team next month. My teacher says I'm good," Chris mumbled.  
  
"That's what I like to hear. I didn't even know you liked tennis," Laney whispered as he playfully punched Chris's shoulder.  
  
"I didn't know I liked it until we learned how to play," Chris smiled. Laney lit up for a moment, almost forgetting how tired he was. "If I make the team will you come to see me play sometimes?"  
  
"Would I come to see you play? Of course, I would! I'll even come in school colors," Laney beamed. It was almost funny how genuinely excited Laney was. Jason hadn't realized how mature Laney seemed around his brothers. Chris even seemed like he looked up to Laney. "I'm glad you found something that you like to do. Maybe in a few weeks, you could show me how to play at the park." Chris nodded excitedly, and Clark and Sammy knocked on the door.  
  
"Are we interrupting?" Clark asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"I'll see you later on," Jason whispered to Laney as he pressed a kiss to Laney's cheek. Sammy's jaw dropped.  
  
"But you said-."  
  
"There was a new development," Jason answered as he messed up Sammy's hair on his way out the door. As he exited the hospital, he noticed Lois and Conner sitting at a table eating fast food together, and Lois waved him over. He hesitated for a moment before he sat with them, and Conner took a sip of coffee.  
  
"We haven't even said anything yet, and you already look like you're dying of embarrassment," Conner laughed, and Lois nudged him.  
  
"Be nice," Lois whispered. Conner picked over his chicken. "Eat with us. Clark's not hungry, and we've got more than enough."  
  
"About Laney and I-."  
  
"Wait, you guys kissed, didn't you?" Conner asked, and Lois shot him a look. Jason nodded.  
  
Jason grabbed a paper plate, and Lois gave him some of the food they got from the restaurant. "Do you still like green beans?" Lois asked.  
  
"Uh-huh," Jason answered. As he took a fork and started to eat.  
  
"Tim called you and Laney's school and rescheduled our gig... So, I guess we're gonna play two weeks from now on Saturday," Conner mentioned.  
  
"Mm," Lois stopped him and tried to finish chewing, "Are you still doing covers?" Conner nodded.  
  
"Yeah, like four of the songs in our set are covers. I think I'm gonna head back to the apartment after this to help Bart make the new posters," Conner replied.  
  
Lois lit up. "Do you need help?" she asked.  
  
"Mom, I'm cool, really. Unless you just wanna come over and hang out, that's cool too," Conner offered.  
  
"Wait, I just remembered I can't. Your dad said Laney's roommate is coming by after lunch, and I wanna meet them," Lois replied.  
  
"Slyvia's a girl. I haven't met her yet, though," Conner blurted out. Lois smiled.  
  
"Laney!" a girl yelled from the parking lot. "You're supposed to be in the-. You're not Laney, are you?"  
  
Conner shook his head and reached out to shake her hand.  
  
"I'm his younger brother, Conner. We look a lot alike, except my eyes are the same color," Conner explained. She smiled and leaned closer.  
  
"You two could be twins... So, you must be Laney's mom. It's so nice to meet you," Sylvia shook her hand.  
  
Lois smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you too," Lois replied, "This is Jason-."  
  
"He and Laney finally acknowledged that they're attracted to each other, so we're not sure if we should call him Laney's friend or-." Lois nudged Conner.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Jason smiled as he shook Sylvia's hand. "Do you go to the university?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm a theatre major," Sylvia replied, "Which is kind of fun because Laney's major is music therapy, so-."  
  
"Laney changed his major to music therapy?" Conner interrupted, his mouth half-full. Sylvia nodded.  
  
Lois took Sylvia's arm and offered to show her where Laney's hospital room was, leaving Jason and Conner to talk to each other. "I don't think you look that much like Laney," Jason replied.  
  
"That's because you've spent more time with Laney than anybody I've ever known," Conner whispered, "Other than Chris."  
  
"How come you and Laney stopped sharing a room?" Jason asked.  
  
"We fought too much... And he was the only one who didn't mind getting up when Chris had nightmares," Conner replied. Sammy came outside and circled the table. "Chill!" Conner laughed.  
  
Sammy sat down next to Conner. "Are you Laney's boyfriend now?" Sammy asked.  
  
"We'll see," Jason answered softly. Sammy took his mother's plate and started to eat after her.  
  
"Dad said I can sleepover at your house tonight," Sammy said.  
  
"And why would you want to do that, Jonny number two?" Conner asked as he pinched Sammy's cheek.  
  
"Stop!" Sammy swatted his hand away. "You said I could if I wanted to."  
  
"Okay, but you still have to go to bed at eight-thirty," Conner replied. Sammy put his fork down.  
  
"But I'm not even going to school tomorrow!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Trust me, you'll be tired by then anyway," Conner replied.  
  
"But you stay up late," Sammy replied.  
  
"I'm not a kid. Besides, I'm giving you a whole extra thirty minutes on a school night because I know you didn't finish your homework," Conner replied.  
  
"How do you-."  
  
"I didn't... A little trick I learned from Dad," Conner smiled. Jason chuckled. Jason finished eating and threw his plate out.  
  
"Wanna see the dance I learned from TikTok?" Sammy asked.  
  
"I have a feeling you're about to do it anyway," Conner mumbled as Sammy stood up and showed him. Conner covered his mouth as he took a moment to collect himself. "You know, that's neat, Sam. I would try it, but I have too much self-respect."  
  
"No, you don't. I saw your yearbook picture," Sammy replied. Jason gasped.  
  
"Sammy!" Jason laughed.


	10. White Noise

Laney seemed to sleep heavily the next day, which Clark didn't seem to mind. Laney made a soft noise, opened his mouth, and he turned over on his side. "Laney?" Clark whispered gently, and Laney muttered something incoherently. "Laney?"  
  
Lois knocked and poked her head in the door. "Is he still asleep?" Lois whispered. Clark nodded. "Lane? Lane, it's Mom." Laney rolled over onto his back and took his mask off. "Today's the day, Cricket. You ready to go home?"  
  
Laney stretched out and yawned. "Today's Tuesday?" Laney asked. Clark nodded, and Lois gave Laney his bag with his clothes in them. "I'm gonna get dressed." Clark stretched out and followed Lois out of the room to allow Laney some time to get dressed.  
  
Laney got out of bed and closed the curtain. He took a moment to sit at the foot of the bed and tie his shoes before he heard someone knock on the door. "I'm dressed," Laney answered, "Just putting my shoes on." Conner came in, and Laney pulled up his socks before standing up. Conner stood there for a while, and he embraced his brother. Laney stood there in shock for a few seconds before hugging Conner back. "I'm getting out of the hospital today, not going back."  
  
"I know... I just-. It's nice to see you in your regular clothes," Conner shrugged. Laney smiled and stretched out his legs as he opened the curtain.  
  
"Sounds like I've finally found a shirt I own that you like," Laney joked.  
  
Shortly after Laney was discharged to the hospital, Clark took Laney home in his car. Lois and his brothers followed behind in Conner's car. "Laney, can you do something for me?" Clark asked.  
  
"Sure, what is it?" Laney asked.  
  
"Tell your brother that you appreciate him. You don't have to word it like that, but you could just-." Laney nodded.  
  
"I can do that... Wait, which brother, and why?" Laney asked.  
  
"Conner. You promise?" Clark asked. Laney nodded. "And I'm not going to go into detail, but this takes a toll on him... The hospitals."  
  
"He never told me-."  
  
"He told me, and I don't want you to mention it to him. He didn't say it to hurt you or say you're a burden," Clark explained, "I think he was trying to say that there were a lot of bad memories of you being sick when you boys were little."  
  
Laney ran a hand through his hair. "I'll tell him... I'll probably let him stay over for the weekend, make him dinner or something," Laney replied. Clark smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Laney," Clark whispered. Laney tapped on the dashboard with his nails. "I'm glad we got to talk this weekend... Are we okay?" Laney nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we're okay," Laney took a deep breath, "Dad, this was nice. I mean, aside from having to go to the emergency room and spending four days in the coronary care unit, spending time with you guys was really nice." A big smile spread across Clark's face.  
  
"If you ever want to talk about anything else, just let me know," Clark replied.  
  
"Actually, I have two questions. Did you finish your article, and will you keep me updated on Christopher and the tennis thing?" Laney asked.  
  
"In order, I emailed it to you, and of course. I know your mom's very excited about him being interested in a sport," Clark smiled.  
  
After Clark pulled into the lot, they followed Laney up to his apartment and greeted his roommate before saying their goodbyes. Laney asked Conner to stay for a little while longer and have breakfast with him.  
  
"I'd love to stick around, but I have class. Get some rest, Lane," Sylvia smiled, "And it's nice seeing you again, Conner."  
  
As soon as the door shut, Conner chuckled. "She's a joy to be around... How does she live with you?" Conner asked.  
  
"Kon... Thanks for staying with me when I was in the hospital," Laney thanked his brother. Conner opened Laney's fridge and grabbed a box of frozen waffles.  
  
"Do you guys separate your things or-."  
  
"I want three waffles," Laney interrupted, "And did you hear me like two seconds ago?"  
  
"Did Dad tell you to thank me? Because I'm fine... Really," Conner replied.  
  
"I mean, it's okay if you're not. I know you had to reschedule a gig because of me. You haven't slept in a bed since Friday night because of me, and I know you never once complained about any of it," Laney whispered, "Frankly, it'd be nice if you did just a little complaining."  
  
"Laney, I don't want to complain. Also, I don't care about any of that stuff. I just don't like hospitals," Conner replied.  
  
"Conner, I really don't get what's wrong... I wouldn't have made you stay-."  
  
"I know that. I wanted to stay. I didn't get to stay when we were kids," Conner mumbled as he put the waffles in the oven. "I guess I just wanted you to know that I was there." Laney punched him in the shoulder.  
  
"Love you," Laney laughed as Conner rubbed his arm.  
  
"You're a fucking terrible person," Conner laughed. Laney chuckled as he went through the fridge and grabbed a can of iced tea. "Lane, do you remember being sick the first time?"  
  
"I remember telling you that I was going to eat you, and you started crying. That was hilarious," Laney snickered, "And I sort of recall that you were convinced that I was a ghost for like a week after I came home."  
  
"I was four, and to be fair, the one time I saw you when you were in the hospital, you were asleep," Conner explained, "Can I have one of those?" Conner pointed to Laney's iced tea.  
  
"This is the last one... But you know that, huh?" Laney asked as he passed Conner his can to let him have a sip.  
  
After breakfast, Conner watched tv for a few hours with Laney until Laney noticed Conner falling asleep sitting up. "Hey, you don't have to sit up with me until Sylvia comes back... You'll be here until a while."  
  
Conner ran a hand over his face. "I know you don't like to be by yourself... I can stay-."  
  
"Conner, I'm fine. Sylvia has a date and a life, and I suppose you have at least one of those things. I'm fine," Laney interrupted, "Go on, I'm sure Tim misses you."  
  
"Trust me, he wouldn't mind missing me for one more night," Conner joked.  
  
"Kon, I'm trying to kick you out... I was gonna invite Jason over," Laney confessed.  
  
"Wait, are you for real?" Conner asked. Laney nodded. "Cool. Call him."  
  
"Yeah, so... You can go home now," Laney laughed.  
  
Conner got up and paused before turning and saying, "You know you can't-."  
  
"I know. I'm just asking Jason to spend the night, nothing else," Laney interrupted, "Besides, imagine having to explain that to Mom and Dad. Are you leaving?"  
  
Conner laughed and let himself out. "Bye, old man," he joked as he shut the door.  
  
After Conner left, Laney texted Jason to ask if he was out of class, and in return, he received a call. "No, I'm not in class... What's up?" Jason answered. Laney chuckled. "What?"   
  
"I didn't think you'd call instead of texting back... Do you wanna come over? I mean, like spend-the-night-in-my-room kind of come over," Laney clarified. Jason cleared his throat.  
  
"Like we share a bed?" Jason asked.  
  
"Yeah! I mean like, alternatively, my dad left the air mattress if you're uncomfortable with-."  
  
"I'm not uncomfortable with it. I just- I've never-... I haven't-."  
  
"Jason, I didn't have that kind of sleeping together in mind. I just meant you and me going to sleep in the same bed... Also, I can't do much more than that for like a month and a half, or my doctor will kill me," Laney joked, "Or maybe my heart will. It's one of those." Jason chuckled.  
  
"So, you want me to come over and sleep in your bed? Like, do you want me to bring pajamas?" Jason asked, his voice only half-serious.  
  
"I don't really have anything that'll fit you, but I don't mind what you wear."  
  
"You do realize this doesn't count as a date, right?" Jason asked.  
  
"I know, I've got something way better planned for our next actual date-."  
  
"You're saying next time as if we've actually been on an actual date before," Jason interrupted. Laney smiled and kicked his feet up on the couch.  
  
"That's your interpretation, and I'm okay with that. So, are you coming over?" Laney asked. "I can come and pick you up."  
  
"I'll get a ride there... Why does everyone assume I have such a terrible time getting around without a car? It's Gotham. Where am I gonna go?" Jason asked.  
  
"Why don't you have a car?" Laney asked.  
  
"I don't really go anywhere... Besides, I like walking at night. It helps me clear my head, and if your apartment's too far, I can get a ride there," Jason answered Laney.  
  
Laney leaned forward and texted Jason the address. "Did you eat yet?" Laney asked.  
  
"Nuh-uh... I mean, I had lunch, but I was kind of gonna have a glass of milk and call it a night-."  
  
"That's not gonna fly. See you at seven-thirty," Laney interrupted and hung up before ordering food. He turned the tv on and took a shower while he waited for his doorbell to ring, and he put on his pajamas.  
  
Gus came out of Laney's room and started whining. "Oh, sweet boy, I'm sorry. I know I was gone for a long time," Laney whispered as he picked Gus up, "But I know your Auntie Sylvie took such good care of you, and it smells like she gave you a bath." Gus purred as Laney walked around looking for something. "Do you know what I'm looking for?" The doorbell rang. "You're right. I'm looking for money." Laney answered the door and asked the man to hold on while he looked for his wallet. He put Gus down and walked around the apartment, looking for the bag of things he had when he left the hospital. He found it sitting next to his bed and let out a sigh of relief before paying for his food.  
  
As soon as he moved to close the door behind the deliveryman, he heard Jason's voice, and he reopened the door. "Hey," Jason smiled. Laney greeted Jason with a peck on the cheek and put the food on the counter. "Laney? You didn't have to order-."  
  
"You didn't eat dinner. The least I can do is make sure you eat something before you go to sleep at my place," Laney replied as he washed his hands and pulled two plates out of the cupboard. "You still like Italian hot dogs, right?" Jason nodded.  
  
"How do you remember that?" Jason asked. "I had Italian hot dogs with you maybe once."  
  
"I remember specifically because you never shut up about how it's the only good hot dog," Laney replied. He took the food out of the bag and put the neatly wrapped food on plates. Jason sat on the couch next to Gus, and Gus purred and rubbed his face against the back of Jason's hand.  
  
"Who is this?" Jason asked as he held him.  
  
"That is Gus Gus. He's my son. I've had him for like a month-and-a-half now," Laney replied, "Do you want something to drink? Like maybe some juice or something?"  
  
Jason shook his head. "Where's your roommate?" Jason asked.  
  
"She has a date tonight, so I don't think she's coming home... You can sit down on the couch," Laney answered and gave Jason his plate. Jason sat on the couch and waited for Laney to sit down.  
  
Laney sat down and gave Jason the remote before he started eating. "Laney, I was just thinking... Remember when I slept over at your house for the first time, and I was scared because I'd never been outside of Gotham without my dad?" Jason asked.  
  
"Are you telling me that you're nervous?" Laney asked seriously.  
  
"No, well, yeah... But, remember what you did?" Jason asked.  
  
"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me," Laney answered, his mouth half-full.  
  
"You put a blanket in the dryer, and when you came back, you threw it over me and told me to go to bed," Jason laughed. Laney smiled and covered his mouth as he finished chewing, and he took a sip of water.  
  
"You did go to sleep, though. I stayed up until I knew for sure you were asleep... Also, you really don't have to be nervous about spending the night. If I'm being honest, I just didn't want to be alone," Laney confessed, and he took his pinky to wipe the corner of Jason's mouth.  
  
"Stop," Jason laughed, not realizing Laney was staring at him. Laney took a napkin and wiped his hands and mouth before pressing a kiss to Jason's cheek. Jason's ears grew hot, and he swallowed his food. "What was that for?"  
  
Laney shrugged. "I hope you don't mind..." Laney trailed off. Jason finished eating and wiped his hands on a napkin.  
  
"Laney, how come you never tell me what you're thinking?" Jason asked. Laney put his food down and turned to Jason, even putting his feet up on the couch.  
  
He cocked his head and looked at Jason for a moment before saying, "Isn't it obvious?" Laney asked. Jason chuckled.  
  
"No, not exactly," Jason replied.  
  
"I don't really have words for what I'm thinking. I'm just happy you're here. You were never one for using your words anyways," Laney whispered. After they finished eating, Laney cleaned up and washed his hands in the kitchen sink. Jason took his pajamas out of his bag as Laney pointed him in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
After Jason's shower, he sat on the couch with Laney, and they watched the news. "I think that guy lives on my floor... Hm," Jason mumbled.  
  
Laney's eyes grew heavy, and he lay back and rested his head on Jason's lap. Jason played with Laney's hair, and Jason whispered, "You're still tired, huh?" Laney opened one eye and cracked a smile.  
  
"Are you making fun of me?" Laney mumbled.  
  
"Depends. Are you pretending to be tired so you can get me to go back to your room?" Jason asked. Laney yawned. "Okay, you win." Laney sat up and led Jason to his room, where he pulled his bedsheets back and let Jason climb into bed first. He went through his bag from the hospital, and he opened a box. Jason propped up on his elbows and asked Laney where he should plug up his phone. Laney took his phone and plugged it next to his before going back to assembling the mask from the box.  
  
He plugged in a small box behind his bed and placed the mask over his nose. For a while, they both lay on their backs in silence, listening to the airflow of Laney's CPAP machine. "I-is this too much noise?" Laney asked. Jason turned over toward Laney and threw his arm over him.  
  
Jason murmured something unintelligible and pushed his face into Laney's shoulder. After a while, the warmth of Jason's body caused Laney to drift off to sleep. Both men slept peacefully, and as the morning came, neither of them would admit it, but it was the best sleep they'd had in a long time.


	11. Home Dining

Jason took his shower and got dressed for work that morning, and Laney sat on his bed swinging his feet. "Jason?" Laney called.  
  
"I'm done with the bathroom," Jason replied. He walked over to the doorway, stopping at the threshold as if he were waiting to be invited in.  
  
"You run hot, you know that?" Laney asked. Jason nodded, rubbing his neck out of embarrassment. "What?"  
  
"I usually sleep in my underwear, and I've never shared a bed with anyone before," Jason confessed. Laney chuckled.  
  
"C'mere," Laney whispered, gesturing with both hands for Jason to enter the room. Jason walked over and stood in front of Laney. "I'm messing with you. Jason, I don't care what you sleep in or how warm you sleep... Tonight was the first in almost a month that I've slept through the whole night. I wasn't saying it because it bothered me, but I'd like it a lot if the next time you stay over, you really make yourself at home." Jason sat down next to Laney and lay his head on Laney's shoulder.  
  
"You want me to sleep in my underwear next time I come over?" Jason asked.  
  
"It'd be preferred, yeah," Laney joked. Jason chuckled and interlaced his fingers with Laney's. "You wanna know what I'm thinking?" Laney asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"Sure," Jason whispered.  
  
"I'm thinking this could really work... I'm also wondering if you want a ride to work or school or wherever you're going," Laney replied. Jason nodded.  
  
"I work in the tutoring center at school-." His phone rang.  
  
"Is that your dad?" Laney asked.  
  
"Actually, no, it's your dad... Should I tell him I spent the night here?" Jason asked.  
  
"Wait and see if he asks... It's not like anything happened. We didn't even kiss... Go ahead," Laney whispered.  
  
Jason answered the phone, whispering a polite, "Good morning, Mr. Kent."  
  
"Good morning, Jason... Are you busy?" Clark asked.  
  
"No, I'm not busy... Is something wrong?" Jason asked. Laney gave Jason a peck on the cheek and took his clothes to the bathroom.  
  
"No, actually, I just wanted to call to ask if you were okay. I know you and Bruce aren't exactly on speaking terms right now, but-."  
  
"I understand that you might feel partially responsible, but it's on him because it was his decision," Jason interrupted.  
  
"Can you afford to miss school today?" Clark asked.  
  
"I have work, and then I have a test today. I won't be free until almost seven... Is this why you called?" Jason asked.  
  
Clark took a deep breath over the phone. "Yes, Jason. Bruce just wants to talk to you in person. Bruce knows what he did hurt you, and he wants to speak to you to work things out," Clark replied, "And trust me, talking things through isn't really something he's used to doing... Parents are still learning too. It doesn't mean you have to forgive him, but it does mean that you might have to look at things a little differently."  
  
"Well, he can meet me at school at six-thirty by the cafeteria... But only because you spoke on his behalf, Mr. Kent," Jason replied.  
  
"Okay. I'll let Bruce know... Oh, and Jason, tell Laney I said good morning-."  
  
"Mr. Kent, I can-."  
  
"I was going to say when you see him," Clark chuckled, "How's Laney feeling, by the way?"  
  
"He's doing good," Jason whispered. He could hear Laney's brothers yelling in the background.  
  
"Boys, please... Thank you, Jason. Feel free to call me if you ever want to talk," Clark offered.  
  
"Thanks, Mr. K., I will," Jason replied before hanging up. Jason walked out to the living room and tied his shoes while he sat on the couch.  
  
"What'd my dad say?" Laney asked as he walked out of his bathroom. Jason shrugged.  
  
"He told me that my dad wants to talk to me... Oh, and he asked if you were okay," Jason replied, "Can we get breakfast on campus?"  
  
Laney nodded. "Jason, come here," Laney replied. Jason smiled and walked over to Laney.  
  
Laney threw his arms around Jason's neck and pressed a kiss to Jason's lips. Jason smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the words. Laney kissed him, and before either of them could think, Jason lay on the couch as Laney kissed his neck, and he took his hands and held Laney's face. "Laney, no, remember," Jason reminded him, a tinge of nervousness in his voice. It was just enough for Laney to notice. Jason maintained eye contact with Laney as Laney took a deep breath, and he nodded. Laney rested his forehead against Jason's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry... I forgot," Laney whispered. Jason smiled and pressed a kiss to Laney's cheek.  
  
"I forgot too... We gotta go anyway," Jason whispered. Laney nodded, and they both got up and grabbed their bags before they made their way downstairs to the car. They rode to school in silence, and after they got out, Jason went around to the driver's seat and took Laney's hand in his.  
  
Laney followed Jason to the cafeteria, and Jason ordered a coffee for himself, tea for Laney, and some french toast for the both of them. After their order was ready, Jason ate with Laney, brushing Laney's hand with his pinky. "What are you thinking?" Jason asked.  
  
"I don't want to rush you, Jason... That's all. I'm sorry if I-."  
  
"You didn't rush me. Laney, you weren't pushing me to do anything back there," Jason interrupted as he took a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Swear?" Laney asked.  
  
"Swear," Jason answered.  
  
Laney went back to eating before looking up once more, "You really had a crush on my mom, huh?" Laney teased.  
  
"Shut up," Jason laughed, "She smells nice..."  
  
"How do you know what my mom smells like?" Laney asked.  
  
"She hugged me once... What? I was upset about something, and she gave some weird sports reference I didn't understand, and she hugged me," Jason replied. Laney chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds like Mom... Bet she called you Champ or some shit like that," Laney whispered, "I can see it now. I can see why you liked her... Unless you still-."  
  
"No, I don't still have a crush on your mom. Actually, in a way, most of the stuff I liked about her helped me like you... I mean, you're a huge jerk sometimes, but underneath it all, you're one of the warmest people I know," Jason whispered.  
  
"You mean that?" Laney asked as he finished up. Jason nodded. "And what are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just an asshole-." Laney chuckled. "No, seriously. I'm mean as fuck," Jason laughed.  
  
"Yeah?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "You know what, now you sound like yourself. Want me to walk you to the tutoring center?"  
  
"Only if you'll let me walk you to class next week," Jason replied. Laney got up and threw their plates away before taking a sip of his tea.  
  
"Mm, Jason, okay... Oh! Jay, um, if I don't call you this weekend, it's because my mom and I have therapy on Friday," Laney whispered, "And I'm pretty sure she's gonna spend the weekend with me." They walked hand-in-hand, and once they got to the tutoring center, instead of kissing Jason, Laney hugged him. He held onto him for a while.  
  
"Lane..." Jason whispered. Laney let go. "I'm gonna meet my dad here at like six-thirty tonight."  
  
"If you want to talk after you see him, I'll be here," Laney whispered, "I'll even come and pick you up if you want me to." Jason nodded.  
  
Once Laney was gone, Jason went back to work, and he couldn't help but smile.  
  
The day didn't seem to drag on like it usually did for him. It wasn't until late in the afternoon that a wave of discomfort washed over him. He wished that he hadn't agreed to see Bruce after class. After Jason's class ended, he walked over to the cafeteria and stood outside. He took out his phone and called Laney. "Hey, you and your dad talk yet?" Laney asked.  
  
"Are you still on campus?" Jason asked.  
  
"Uh-huh, want me to wait for you?" Laney asked. Jason leaned against the wall and looked up at the stars.  
  
"Yeah, Lane... I don't know how long I'll be, though-."  
  
"That's okay. I told you I'd stick around," Laney whispered, "I'll be here. See you in a little bit, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Jason whispered before Laney hung up.  
  
He waited for about ten minutes and decided to walk home, but before he could move, he heard a woman's voice. "I hate to be late, but I just spent an absurd amount of time arguing with your father about which one of us should come out to speak to you."  
  
Jason turned to look at her, and she was just as he remembered.  
  
"Natalia? Mom?" Jason's eyes filled to the brim with tears. He embraced her, almost lifting her off of the ground. She hugged him back. "What are you doing here?" Jason asked.  
  
"Will you walk with me?" Natalia asked. Jason nodded and followed her as they walked toward the park. "Jason, blame for my absence does not solely rest on Bruce. I chose to stay away because I thought it would benefit you."  
  
Jason looked at her and took a deep breath. "You left me?" Jason whispered. His voice broke, and he stopped walking.  
  
"No, Jason, you don't understand. It wouldn't have been easy for you if I stayed," she whispered, "It wasn't until Bruce sabotaged my plans to meet with you that I realized I was being incredibly selfish. I had to separate myself for your own good-."  
  
"You never called or wrote... How was that good for me?" Jason asked.  
  
She took a deep breath and nodded. "I just wanted you to move on with your life. I thought it would be best-." Jason started walking again, and Natalia followed. "Jason, I understand if you're upset with me-."  
  
Jason pulled out his phone and sent a text. "I am upset with you, but I think we should have dinner at my apartment. I'll walk you back to the parking garage because that's where my ride is waiting," Jason replied. He turned back toward the school and walked a few paces ahead of her. Jason blinked away a few tears, walking to the lot, and Jason waited until she got in Bruce's car before letting his tears fall. When he got to Laney's car, he got in and slammed the door.  
  
"Jesus! Jason-. Hey," Laney's voice softened, "Hey. What happened?"  
  
"She doesn't-." Jason swallowed hard. "She didn't want to come back."  
  
"Jason... What are you talking about?" Laney asked gently. "What's wrong?" Jason wiped his face with his sleeve, and Laney put his knees in his seat to lean in and wipe Jason's face with his jacket. "Hey... It's alright."  
  
"My mom didn't come back because she didn't want to," Jason wept, and Laney moved Jason's hand away from his face. "She could've come back, but she didn't."  
  
Laney nodded. "I don't really know your foster mom all that well. I only met her once, but I know that sometimes parents rarely ever just wake up and decide they don't love their kids anymore... If she didn't come back-. You don't want me to explain things to you. I'm sorry," Laney apologized. Jason embraced him and cried. "I've got you."  
  
Laney allowed him a few minutes to pull himself together, and Jason sniffed as he mumbled, "You're probably right." Jason inhaled sharply, and Laney kissed his cheek. "We can go now..."  
  
"You sure?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "It's gonna be okay. Dinner's gonna be fine. I'll even help cook." Jason bit his nails. "Hey, I'm serious. It's gonna be fine."  
  
Laney buckled his seatbelt and started to drive toward Jason's apartment. "I couldn't even say how I felt. I don't have the words. I can't-."  
  
"That's okay... Sometimes talking about your feelings is like that... Just do and say what you feel-."  
  
"I change my mind," Jason blurted out, and Laney turned to look at him. "Maybe we should just go back to-."  
  
"Jason, what's up with your family and feelings. Just tell them exactly how you feel... Isn't it better that everyone knows what's going on?" Laney asked. Jason didn't answer. Instead, he covered his mouth and looked out the window like a scolded child. "If you don't want to talk to them, at least text them and tell them that." Jason shook his head.  
"I'm gonna go..." Jason mumbled.  
  
"I know it's a lot, but I don't think you'll regret dealing with things," Laney replied, "I know I'm not as in touch with my emotions as my brothers and dad are, but I do know that talking things out does work."  
  
Jason didn't say anything else until they got to his apartment and Natalia and Bruce stood at the door as if they'd been there several minutes before Jason and Laney arrived. Jason let them all in, and he went to the kitchen to wash his hands. Laney greeted both of them and washed his hands as well. "Laney, can you make the salad?" Jason asked. Laney nodded.  
  
"I like your apartment-."  
  
"You don't," Jason interrupted, and Laney nudged him.  
  
"Just change the subject," Laney whispered.  
  
"So, have you both been lying to me as a unit, or did you part ways completely when I was fourteen?" Jason asked his parents.  
  
"Jason, that's not fair. I thought it was what's best for you-."  
  
"It wasn't... Everything was different. I lost you and my best friend. I wasn't happy-."  
  
"Because it wasn't fair... I should have been there. I should've made better choices so that I could have been there... I couldn't come back to you without learning to be the parent you needed," Natalia interrupted, "I know now from what you're saying and from what Bruce has told me, we were wrong about the way we handled things... That's why I'm here now. I want you to know that I never stopped loving you, even in my absence. I just wanted you to feel normal."  
  
"Dad, why didn't you just ask me if I thought about running away? And Mom, why didn't you ask me if I had feelings about being around you after what you did?" Jason asked. "Why didn't you two ever ask me about how I felt?"  
  
"You seemed fine," Bruce replied from where he sat on the couch.  
  
"I wasn't okay. I disappeared, Dad, and you would've known had you just asked me. You never asked me how it felt to know my mom was going to jail or what it felt like to know I wasn't allowed to see my best friend anymore or how it felt to have my whole life turned upside down again...  
  
I've been thinking these past few days, and I just have to ask... Mom, did you ever once think about how hard it was for me to trust you when you met me? And Dad, why is it that you won't allow me to know the causes for why I always feel like this?" Jason asked. Laney looked up from the lettuce he'd cut up.  
  
Natalia opened her mouth to speak, and no words came out. Bruce took a deep breath. "Is this about the hospital?" Bruce asked.  
  
"That's what all of this is about, actually," Jason replied harshly.  
  
"I don't know what led up to it because you wouldn't speak to me afterward, but you kept telling me that you just needed some air... And then you drove your fist through your window," Bruce replied, "You don't remember that?"  
  
Jason chewed his lip. "No, I don't remember..."  
  
Laney cleared his throat. "Jason, you should go sit and talk with your parents. I'll cook dinner..." Laney whispered the words in Jason's ear. Laney kissed him on the cheek. "Okay?"  
  
Jason nodded and sat in a chair in his living room. He listened to Bruce speak for a while about what happened all those months ago. "I chalked it up to you being stressed about school... I never really thought to ask why," Bruce replied, "It doesn't mean that I wasn't concerned about you..."  
  
"I know," Jason replied, "But sometimes I feel like you don't really hear me."  
  
"I do. I just sometimes don't know what to say or do in response," Bruce replied.  
  
"We did agree on one thing in the car... We should have been more of a team when it came to caring about you. We'd spent so much time competing for your time and affection we never realized how much that hurt you," Natalia added. She reached out and waited a moment as if she were waiting for his permission, and Jason embraced her. He took Bruce's hand and pulled him into their small embrace.  
  
Laney's phone rang, startling the three of them, and he apologized before answering his call. "Conner?"  
  
"Hey, Lane. Are you busy?" Conner asked.  
  
"A little busy... Why? What's wrong?" Laney asked as he stepped outside.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to show you a picture of my tattoo," Conner replied.  
  
"I feel like you could've texted me-."  
  
"I wanted to get your reaction in real-time," Conner replied, "Did you get it yet?" Laney looked at his phone and opened a text from Conner.  
  
"Give me like two seconds... Wait-." Laney stopped talking for a moment and smiled. "You know, you lied to me."  
  
"I'm sure you're used to it. What do you think?" Conner asked.  
  
"I think you're an idiot for doing this, but it looks great. I'm surprised you remembered that... But you know what, maybe it'll keep Mom from killing you when she finds out you got a tattoo," Laney replied.  
  
"I decided I'm gonna tell her right before you go to therapy-."  
  
"Wait, no, don't do that. I just remembered I gave you my fucking ID. She's gonna be pissed at me too," Laney interrupted, "Shit. Mom can never find out about that tattoo ever. Or I literally will kill you, and I mean that."  
  
"Oh, I found my ID. So, I didn't have to use yours. I had to tell the girl who did it that my older brother scheduled it for me," Conner laughed, "I think she bought it. What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm supposed to be helping Jason make dinner. I'm having dinner with his parents at his apartment... I'll call you back later-."  
  
"Or I can just stop by your place-."  
  
"I'm staying over Jason's," Laney replied, "But I'll call you back if you want me to."  
  
"No, I'm good. Have fun at Jason's. I'll see you Friday when Mom comes back," Conner answered. Laney smiled.  
  
"Okay, now... But that makes you sound like you're staying the weekend with Mom and me-."  
  
"Love you, mean it!" Conner interrupted before hanging up.  
  
"I hate when he does that," Laney whispered before going back to Jason's apartment.  
  
Jason was at the stove, opening up cans of ravioli. "Do you like living alone?" Natalia asked.  
  
"Sometimes I do," Jason replied. Laney came over and tapped Jason's arm.  
  
"Do you want me to do anything else?" Laney whispered in his ear.  
  
"Do you think we should tell them?" Jason asked. Laney smiled. "I think so too." Laney kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"What's going on?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Turns out Lane and I like each other, like a whole lot. He's my boyfriend," Jason smiled, "He's finally my boyfriend."  
  
"I like the sound of that... Jason's boyfriend," Laney whispered.


	12. Nom de Plume

After Jason's parents left after dinner, Laney went down to the car to get his backpack. Jason pulled two sets of pajamas out of his drawer. He took his pajamas to the bathroom and took his shower. He could hear Laney knock on the door, and he could faintly hear his voice. "What?" Jason asked, raising his voice.

"If you want, I can take the couch so you can sleep how you usually do," Laney repeated himself.

"No! Hold on, okay!" Jason yelled as he turned off the water, and he put on his boxers and threw on a sweater before opening the door. "I don't mind if you sleep in my bed." Laney touched Jason's face and chuckled, walking past Jason to go in his bathroom and grab a towel. He dried Jason's face and hair.

"Better, now what were you saying?" Laney asked, and Jason lifted Laney's chin with his knuckle.

"Well, first of all, my eyes are up here," Jason smiled, "And I think you were about to kiss me..."

Laney smiled and pressed a kiss to Jason's lips. Jason chased his kiss with a quick peck, and Laney parted his lips. "I think you were right," he whispered, "Can I borrow some of your pajamas for tonight?"

"They're on the bed," Jason whispered. Laney nodded, and Jason chuckled. "I never noticed that you stand on your toes to kiss me."

"No. I don't think I do that," Laney teased.

"You're doing it right now," Jason murmured. Laney shook his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Laney snickered as he kissed Jason again before going to Jason's room to grab Jason's pajamas and take his shower. Jason sat on the couch on his laptop, and he started working on something for his class.

His phone rang, and he answered, putting it on speaker. "Hi, Dick. How's it going?" Jason asked.

"It's going good. You sound like you're in better spirits. What's up?" Dick asked.

"I'm working on something for class... Also, Dad and I talked, and I spoke to my Mom. It was nice. Calling to check in on me?" Jason asked.

"Actually, no, I was gonna ask if you were going to see Tim and his friends play at your school in two weeks," Dick replied.

"Yeah, I'm going with Laney-."

"Jason! Can I use your shampoo?" Laney asked from the bathroom.

"Sure! Knock yourself out," Jason replied.

"He's staying the night?" Dick asked. "Are you two-."

"A couple? Mhm," Jason answered as he kept working on his paper.

"Can I give you a little advice?" Dick asked. "Talk about everything you guys missed. Like, really sit and talk about it."

"I will. I promise," Jason replied. Laney came out of the bathroom. "Bye, Dick."

"Later, Jason," Dick replied. Jason hung up, and Laney plopped down on the couch next to Jason and turned his laptop on.

"Hey, what's that?" Laney asked, pointing to a picture on Jason's laptop.

"Lane, you've never put washer fluid in your car?" Jason asked. Laney shook his head. "Remind me to show you how to do that at some point." Laney put one of his earbuds in his ear and started a music software. "Homework?"

"Mhm," Laney replied.

"What are you majoring in?" Jason asked.

"Music Therapy, it used to be marketing, but I realized I hated marketing," Laney replied. Jason continued to work as he looked over at Laney's computer. "You're an engineer, right?"

"Mhm, I got my associates in Children's Literature and Engineering, but now it's just Engineering," Jason replied. Laney smiled.

"Did you want to write children's books?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "Why don't you?"   
  
"To be honest, I changed my major because I was really depressed at the time... And, I never told anyone this, but I did sort of draft a book that I didn't have the heart to let go of. I even had a pen name and everything," Jason replied.

Laney set his laptop aside. "Is it a finished draft?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "I say you should give it a shot. Read over it, look at what you've done so far, and really do something with it. If it means something to you still, you should give it a try."

Jason shrugged, and they went back to working quietly beside one another for what seemed like hours until Laney plugged his laptop and went back to Jason's room. Jason finished up his project and turned it in before going back to his room and being startled by the sound of music. "I didn't want to sound like a jerk when I stayed the night last time, but this is definitely a glockenspiel," Laney noted as he continued to play. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Jason replied, "Did you bring your-."

"One night's not gonna hurt. I just have to remember to sleep on my side," Laney whispered. Jason nodded and let Laney climb into bed first before he climbed in.

"Aren't you gonna be hot?"

Jason nodded and took the sweater off, throwing it to the foot of the bed. Laney smiled while Jason's back was turned.

"I can feel that you're staring at my back," Jason whispered, holding back a laugh through clenched teeth as his ears warmed up.  
Laney cleared his throat. "I'm not staring. I'm respectfully admiring-. Were you stabbed?" Laney asked.

"It was forever ago, like way before I knew you or my dad... And I wasn't stabbed. I was burned," Jason replied, "I don't wanna talk about that, though." Laney nodded.

"Hey, Jason, do you remember this?" Laney asked as he poked Jason's sides. Jason jumped and made a high-pitched shrieking noise before turning around and pinning Laney to the bed.

"Why are you like that?" Jason asked. Laney laughed as Jason let go of him. "What are you twelve?" Jason let out a laugh involuntarily.

"Admit it," Laney whispered, "You think I'm hilarious." Jason smiled and shook his head.  
"I really don't," Jason laughed.

"You do. I just put two-and-two together. You find me sexy because I make you laugh," Laney smiled as he ran the backside of his hand down the line of Jason's jaw. "And that's why your face is so red right now."

Jason lay next to Laney and started laughing hysterically. "I can't stand you. You really are the worst," Jason's laugh dissolved into an exhausted chuckle, and he turned to Laney before whispering, "We should get married."

Laney sat up, eyes wide, and Jason laughed again. "I definitely had you. You should've seen yourself. It was cute. It really was," Jason smiled, "Goodnight, Laney."

"Goodnight, Jason," Laney whispered, and nothing more was said. Jason turned out the light, and they both went to bed.

Jason tossed and turned most of the night, which didn't bother Laney much. The rocking seemed to soothe him, lulling him into a deeper and deeper sleep as the night progressed until Jason sat up with a start, scaring him awake. "Jay?" Laney sat up all the way.

"I'm fine," Jason whispered as he lay back down on his stomach and threw his arm over Laney's lap, "I'm fine..."  
"It's okay if you aren't," Laney whispered, his voice steady. Jason didn't say anything. "Can I tell you about my dream?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "It's a dream I have a lot, so bear with me. I wake up in my dorm at school, and I can hear boys laughing, but I can't see them. So, I leave the room, and I follow the sound of their voices, and I'm all alone...

But I can hear them laughing, and I know they're laughing at me... And I try to go back to my room, but I can't find it, and the laughing keeps getting louder and louder until I wake up," Laney whispered. Jason held onto Laney, silent and unmoving. "Are you still awake?"

"What was boarding school like?" Jason asked, his voice seemed far away to Laney.  
"It was all boys, but it wasn't like what most people would think... I mean, yeah, there were a lot of gay kids and a lot of violence... But it wasn't something your mind could prepare for," Laney whispered.

"Did you ever date anyone there?" Jason asked.

"No, I've never really dated anyone... But there was this one guy," Laney whispered. Jason propped up on his elbows.

"Yeah?" Jason asked.

"It wasn't anything exciting. I mean, I used to hang out with this guy who was a year ahead of me, and we used to hang out on this hill and get drunk," Laney took a deep breath, "We kissed once, and then the next day, he threatened to smash my face in if I ever told anyone... Then he got expelled for punching a teacher. So, I really don't have any heartfelt memories of boarding school..."

Jason lay back down on his stomach, and he tapped the pillow next to him. "Lane... It couldn't have been all bad," Jason whispered.

Laney lay down on his side, facing Jason. "Have you ever been in love?" Laney asked.  
"Everyone our age has, Laney," Jason mumbled as he moved Laney's hair from his face before closing his eyes.

"You weren't in love with that boarding school guy?" Jason asked.

"No, we weren't really together, and we only kissed that one time. We were so drunk, I think I burst into tears right after and begged the guy not to tell my parents," Laney whispered.

"So, you've never loved anyone?" Jason asked, his voice even further away than before.  
"No, I wouldn't even know what it would feel like... That's the scariest thing..."

"We'll figure it out as we go along," Jason whispered as he drifted back off to sleep.

Laney sat in silence for a while before whispering, "Jason?" Laney waited for an answer before drifting back off to sleep, only to wake up before Jason a few hours later.

He sat up, waiting for Jason to awaken. Jason's alarm went off, and he turned it off without opening his eyes. "Jay?" Laney asked.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. Laney shrugged.

"I'm okay. I just wanted to know if I could wear something of yours to class today?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "Look in my closet, okay?"

Laney looked through Jason's closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Jason watched as Laney changed out of his pajamas, and Laney chuckled. "I know you're staring at me," Laney pointed out.

"I'm just trying to see what my clothes look like on you," Jason replied before checking his phone.

"Mhm, sure," Laney replied, "What about you? What are you gonna wear?"

"My class got canceled. I'm freed up. I could do this all day," Jason replied as he lay back down. Laney smiled and threw Jason some clothes. "Then maybe you can wear this on our date tonight."

"Date?" Jason asked. He sat up. Laney kissed him on the cheek.

"Mhm," Laney replied as he made his way to the bathroom.

A smile spread across Jason's face as he quietly celebrated the idea of going on a date with Laney, shortly before Laney returned with his phone in hand. "Jason, tell my mom that I slept okay," Laney requested.

"Good morning Mrs. Kent," Jason replied, "Laney slept okay."

"Good morning, Jason. Is Lane giving you any trouble?" Lois asked.

"Only the usual amount," Jason smiled. Laney pressed a few kisses to Jason's cheek.

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth. I'll be right back," Laney replied, "You wouldn't mind talking to my mom for a minute, would you?" He took her off speakerphone and handed Jason the phone.

Jason pushed a hand through his hair. "No, not at all," he answered before mouthing a threat to Laney. "How are you this morning, Mrs. K.?"

"I'm good. I'm just getting ready to go back to Gotham. I'm taking the ferry in an hour," Lois replied, "What about you?"

"Wait, I thought you were supposed to come tomorrow?" Jason asked.

"I was... If you and Laney have something to do tonight, Sylvia can let me in," Lois replied, "I just want to surprise him. Do you have class today?"

"No, I just got an e-mail. My class got canceled," Jason replied.

"Can I ask you something personal? You really don't have to answer if you don't want to. Do you drink Jason?" Lois asked.

"No, I don't drink," Jason replied, "Can I ask you why you wanted to know that?"

Lois let silence fall between them for a moment before she gave her answer. "Have you ever had a drink?" Lois asked.

"No, I don't have any interest in drinking," Jason replied, "Mrs. Kent?"

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is: Have you ever hid anything from Bruce because you thought he wouldn't understand? I've been thinking about something Laney said, and even though I'm going to ask him personally, I just wanted to get a different perspective," Lois answered.

"There's a lot of things I don't think Bruce would understand... I try to go through channels when discussing my feelings about things with my dad," Jason replied. Lois chuckled.

"Right..." Someone said something to Lois in the background. "Absolutely not, Sammy. Put it back... Because you're ten-years-old... You can have some cocoa... When you can explain to me what a 3-4-5 triangle is... Sorry, Jason. Tell Lane I love him very much, and I'll see him tomorrow."

"Okay, Mrs. K. Tell Sam and Chris I said hi," he replied before she hung up.

Jason started getting dressed just as Laney came back and asked, "Personality-wise, if I was a dog, what breed of dog would I be?"

Jason pulled his shirt on and stared at Laney, narrowing his eyes seriously before letting out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "What the fuck?" Jason snorted, prompting Laney to laugh with him.

"No, I'm serious. Everyone has a dog breed that best-."

"You own a cat, Lane," Jason interrupted before taking a calming breath. "Wait, are you asking because you already picked one out for me?"

"I did. But I wanna hear yours first," Laney replied. Jason put on his pants and stared at Laney for a while.

"Bull terrier," Jason answered.

"The dog from Target?" Laney asked. Jason nodded. "Do you want to explain?"

"I think you know exactly why I chose that dog. My turn, what'd you pick for me?" Jason asked.

"Rottweiler," Laney replied.

"They're cute. I'll take it," Jason smiled, "Oh, your mom wanted me to tell you she said that she loves you, and she'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm actually looking forward to it for once," Laney replied.

"Can I ask why you and your mom go to therapy together?" Jason asked.

"I had a rough New Year's Eve, so I promised that if she'd come with me, I'd go to therapy for a whole year. It helps," Laney replied, "You go to therapy?"

Jason shook his head. "I dunno... I can't imagine talking to a stranger about my thoughts and feelings..."

"It's not as bad as you think, but I get you... But you talked to me when I was a stranger to you-."

"You've never been a stranger. You're my dad's best friend's son," Jason interrupted, "That's different... I would go see you if you were a therapist."

"I wouldn't let you be my client. It'd be a conflict of interest," Laney whispered as he kissed Jason's knuckles. "Imagine you start talking about something I did or said, and I'm sitting there pissed off because you didn't bring it up during dinner or something. That'd make for a really fucked up dynamic."

"So I can't ever ask you for advice?" Jason asked.

"You can ask me as your boyfriend," Laney replied, "Now go brush your teeth so we can make out before you take me to class."

"You're a real charmer," Jason replied as he slipped on some socks and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Laney lay back on Jason's bed and looked at his phone. "Jason, are you a virgin?" Laney asked, and Jason gagged.

"Jesus! Lane, you couldn't have-." Jason spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth out. "You couldn't have waited until we were in the same room to ask that?" He stood in the doorway, staring at Laney.

"My fault... Jason, are you a virgin?" Laney asked once more. "And I mean that in a general sense-."

"Yes, I am... Why? Are you?" Jason asked.

"No, I just wanted you to know that even after the six weeks is over, we don't have to-."  
"Isn't it a little early to be talking about-."

"I just didn't want it to come up before we got a chance to discuss it. I'm not trying to make things weird. It's just that I've never dated anyone before-."

"What about that family friend?" Jason interrupted.

"It wasn't a real thing. Our parents thought we were bored and set us up on a date. We went out once so they'd leave us alone, but I told her I was gay almost immediately," Laney explained.

"So you've never really dated anyone?" Jason asked. Laney shook his head.

"Nope... But I know enough to say that I wouldn't be here with you right now if it didn't feel right," Laney replied, "Also, I'm trusting you with my car today because you might find something fun to do on your free day." Jason came close to Laney, and a big grin spread across his face. "Don't you fucking-."

Jason picked him up and threw him on the bed. "I never thought I'd be big enough to do that," Jason laughed, "And now we're even for that time you gorilla pressed me in the trampoline place."

"You're being dramatic. I didn't gorilla press you-."

"You lifted me over your head and dunked me in front of everyone at the party," Jason replied. Laney chuckled.

"That was pretty funny," Laney smiled.

"I can dunk you again," Jason threatened playfully.

"Please don't," Laney laughed as he followed Jason out to the kitchen. Lane looked in his fridge for something to drink. "Can I snag one of these?" Lane asked, holding up a smoothie. Jason nodded.


	13. Self-Soothe

Lois and Laney sat in the waiting room together, and Laney knocked the back of his head against the wall. "Stop that," Lois whispered as she fixed his hair. Laney messed his hair back up. "Lane, let me fix it-."  
  
"I don't want you to fix it," Laney mumbled.  
  
Lois breathed and reached to fix his collar. "Just let me-."  
  
"Ma, cut it out," Laney whispered, "I'm gonna get a soda. Do you want something?"  
  
"Lane, sit down. She'll be out in just a minute," Lois replied, "I'm anxious too. Just sit, okay?"  
  
Laney kissed Lois's temple. "I'll go see if they have strawberry-."  
  
"Lois and Jonathan?" a small mouse-like voice called. Lois stood up, and Laney followed her into the therapist's office. Laney sat on the couch next to Lois and said good morning to his therapist. "How has everyone been since the last time we spoke?"  
  
"Mom, do you wanna go first?" Laney asked. Lois shrugged.  
  
"Sure, I can go first... Conner called Wednesday night and surprised us with a visit. That was really nice. He's still there, and I think he's trying to warm up to tell us something," Lois whispered, "And um... Sammy is giving me the silent treatment because he thinks that I'm treating him like a baby."  
  
"Does that bother you, Lois?" their therapist asked.  
  
"Theresa... I'm not gonna lie. I was angry at first. Then, I had to remember what it was like when the boys were his age, and I get it," Lois replied, "But it doesn't make it any less frustrating."  
  
"Everyone wants to be a grownup until they're a grownup," Laney chuckled. Lois smiled.  
  
"Exactly! But I bet you figured that out when you became an adult-."  
  
"Nuh-uh. When I came home from boarding school that last time," Laney whispered. Lois pushed her hair back and pulled it up into a ponytail.  
  
"Laney, I feel like there's a lot of things that happened to you that you haven't talked about... I sort of wanted to talk about boarding school, if that's okay," Lois fixed his hair once more.  
  
"What do you want to know?" Laney asked.  
  
"Why didn't you sleep in your bed that first night back home?" Lois asked.  
  
Laney took a deep breath, and he pushed his hair back with both hands. "My anxiety was so bad I felt like I was gonna be sick the whole night, and I guess I just wanted someone to hear me if I had to get up... I didn't want to be alone," Laney whispered, "It wasn't because of what my counselor did. All he did was try to kidnap me. That was it. I was just-. I felt crazy because I did something as stupid as that. I didn't want to tell you or Dad because I thought you'd be mad at me."  
  
"We wouldn't have been angry. We thought you ran away, and we weren't upset with you. You were so shaken up. All we wanted to do was take you home," Lois confessed, "And you really haven't been yourself since then... We didn't want you to feel different, so we didn't say anything. All we wanted was to give you your space."  
  
Laney didn't say anything. He just bounced his leg and hid his face in his hands. "Jonathan, do you need a break?" Theresa asked. Laney shook his head.  
  
"Cricket, come here," Lois whispered as she took his hands and made eye contact with him. "It wasn't your fault. I love you so much." Lois embraced him.  
  
Theresa allowed them to recollect themselves before asking Laney if he felt like his experience in his boarding school still affects him. Laney nodded, and he tried to put together an answer, but he found himself struggling to make sense. He stumbled over his words until he finally managed to say, "It's hard to feel close to people... It's hard to tell people when I'm struggling, or when I need to talk to someone, or even now with Jason.  
  
We're dating, and I don't know how to-. I don't know how to tell Jason that I want to wait a while before we-. I mean, I have to wait six weeks anyway, but I think I don't want to do it right away because I want it to mean something. I've hooked up with people before, so I'm not new to that part of things, but I just want to wait."  
  
Lois kicked off her shoes, and she sat with her feet up on the couch. "Do you mind if I weigh in on that?" Lois asked. Laney shook his head. "I think you're doing what's right for you, and that's smart. I think Jason will understand that."  
  
They all spoke for a while, and Laney and Lois went back to the car once their appointment ended. "You owe me a strawberry soda," Lois smiled, "And you never told me about how your date went."  
  
"Oh, we went bowling because he'd never been. He had fun... Then he took me to this restaurant, and we ate at Robinson Park... It wasn't anything spectacular. It was just okay," Laney whispered.  
  
"Do you not want to go out on a second date?" Lois asked.  
  
"I like dating him, I just... I don't know. It all felt like a formality. It didn't feel the way that it does when we sleepover at each other's places," Laney shrugged.  
  
"Did you tell him that?" Lois asked. Laney shook his head. "Want to split a large pizza?"  
  
"Only if it's at one of those fancy Italian places that serve ravioli," Laney replied. Lois punched his shoulder.  
  
"I love the way you think," she smiled as she got in the passenger's seat. "Your dad was looking at old videos of you boys when you were little, and he found this one of you when you were three."  
  
"Yeah?" Laney asked as he put on his seatbelt and backed out of the parking space. "What'd I do?"  
  
"Do you remember the pizza video?" Lois asked.  
  
"Mom, please tell me you're not gonna make me listen to that while I drive," Laney replied.  
  
"Fine...But do you remember waking me up at two in the morning to heat up your leftovers?" Lois chuckled.  
  
"Please tell me you didn't show that video to my roommate," Laney groaned.  
  
"I didn't, I swear," Lois snickered. "I loved how dramatic you were as a little boy," she smiled.  
  
"Remember when you asked me if it would kill me to wait until you were done working, and I pretended to drop dead in your office," Laney chuckled.  
  
"Trust me, I remember. You still do that to me," Lois laughed.  
  
"I do not!" Laney giggled.  
  
"You just did! Remember three months ago when I said I couldn't go to IKEA with you and you accused me of being mad at you?" Lois asked.  
  
"Because you sounded like you were-. Wait, are you mad at Conner?" Laney asked.  
  
"Am I mad about the tattoo that he got on his shoulder? No, and I'm not mad at you for letting him borrow your ID-."  
  
"I can explain-."  
  
"You don't have to. Are you getting one to match Conner?" Lois asked.  
  
Laney made a face. "Absolutely not. I can't believe he sat through that. It did make me smile to see it, though. I thought he was too little to remember," Laney grinned before slamming on his brakes. "What the hell is wrong with you? Pay attention!" He laid on his horn.  
  
Lois chuckled. "You lay on your horn first, sweetheart," she corrected him gently.  
  
"Oh, thanks for the priceless motherly wisdom," Laney laughed as he pulled into a restaurant parking lot.  
  
Once they were inside, they spoke to the cashier and made their order to go. While they waited for their food, and Lois gave Laney one of her earbuds. "I wanna see how Conner and Clark are getting along while the boys are at school," Lois whispered. Lois did a facetime call, and Clark answered almost immediately. "Good morning, babe."   
"Good morning, Lois. Good morning, Laney... Conner, come and say good morning," Clark beckoned him on the camera.  
  
Conner sat down next to Clark, his hair standing up all over his head, and he looked as if he was wearing one of Sammy's shirts. Laney started to laugh. "You look great... No, really, that's a look-."  
  
"I get it... Sam kept me up all night. He said he was sick, but I think he just had a bad dream or something," Conner yawned.  
  
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Clark asked.  
  
"Because he wasn't actually sick, Dad. I took his temperature with the forehead thing-."  
  
"Still a thermometer, genius-."  
  
"Lane," Lois nudged him.  
  
"Thanks, Mom. Anyways, we watched something on tv until he fell asleep, and I carried him back to bed," Conner finished his story and asked Clark if he was going to finish his coffee. "Thanks, Dad."  
  
"Conner, did you take the ferry by yourself?" Laney asked.  
  
"No, I drove... Dad let me drop the boys off at their schools this morning. That was fun," Conner yawned.  
  
"You dropped them off dressed like that?" Laney laughed. Lois got up and picked up their order.  
  
"I didn't have to get out of the car. Are you and Mom having pizza?" Conner asked. Laney stood up and put the earbud in Lois's ear for her.  
  
"Uh-huh. Hey, we'll call you guys later, okay?" Laney replied, and they hung up. He let Lois drive to the park, where they sat down and opened their box of pizza.  
  
"Lane, remind me before I leave tomorrow night to get three big pizzas to take home," Lois replied, covering her mouth as she chewed.  
  
"Mm! Mom, is Chris still asking if he can spend the weekend with me?" Laney asked as he opened his little container of ravioli.  
  
"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you really meant he could stay over or not, but I know he has a half-day in three weeks if you want to keep him then," Lois replied. Laney looked on his phone calendar.  
  
"What is that like the first weekend in October?" Laney asked. Lois nodded. "How do you do that? You didn't even look at a calendar."  
  
"Mom powers. So, is that a good time for you?" Lois asked.  
  
"Mhm, and if Sammy wants to come, he can too, but I can't promise you that I won't keep one of them," Laney joked.  
  
"Be careful what you wish for. I could always send the boys to stay with you for the summer," Lois smiled as she went in for another slice of pizza.  
  
"Maybe I'll keep them for a week or two in the summer. It'd be nice. Sylvia's probably gonna be out of town. They could have her room while she's gone," Laney replied.  
  
"Jon Lane?" a man's voice exclaimed. Laney started choking on his food, and Lois knocked the heel of her palm against his back.  
  
"Are you okay?" Lois asked. Laney looked on in shock as the man approached him.  
  
"Hi, Lane. How've you been?" he asked as he reached out to shake Lois's hand.  
  
"Laney, who's your friend?" Lois asked. Laney swallowed hard before running off to the park bathroom, leaving Lois sitting alone. He shut himself in a stall and paced back and forth as he tried to stop his heart from racing. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what Clark taught him to do.  
  
Laney mumbled his brothers' middle names from youngest to oldest and then his parents' middle names. "Samuel, Lawerence, Elliot, Lane, Joanne, Joseph. Joseph, Joanne, Lane, Elliot, Lawerence, Samuel. Sam-."  
  
"Jonathan? Are you in here?" Lois asked. Laney took in a sharp breath and stopped pacing.  
  
"This is the men's room, lady-."  
  
"So are all the bathrooms in my house, buddy... Jonathan Lane Kent, I know you're in here-."  
  
"Mom, you can't be in here," Laney raised his voice through the stall.  
  
"Well, can we go back outside?" Lois asked. Laney opened the stall, and she gestured with her head for him to follow her out. He sighed, and she led him around the back of the bathroom building. "What happened? Who was that?"  
  
"He-. Mr. Forrester, he's Mr. Forrester..." Lois turned to walk back toward where they were sitting, and Laney grabbed her arm. "Mom, please."  
  
"I'm not going to say anything to him. I'm just going to hurt him-." Laney tugged at her arm, and she turned to see the tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to do. I can't-. I can't fix-." Laney burst into tears, and she embraced him.  
  
"I really messed up," Laney cried. Lois let go and held his face in her hands, and she shook her head.  
  
"No, nuh-uh... That wasn't your fault. You didn't know... And Clark would be so mad that I touched your face with pizza hands," Lois whispered. Laney let out a weak laugh. "I bet you if you let me go now, I still have enough time to get one good punch in."  
  
"Mom," Laney chuckled, "Stop."  
  
"Clark will tell you himself. I have a mean right hook. I knocked G. Gordon Godfrey's tooth out at a party once," Lois replied.  
  
"No, you didn't," Laney laughed.  
  
"I did, and he deserved it," Lois replied. She kissed Laney on the cheek and gestured once more for them to go.  
  
Once they got back home, Laney washed up, and he curled up on the couch and lay his head in her lap. Lois pulled his hair back from his face and into a top knot. "I need a haircut," Laney mumbled.  
  
"I can do it. I've given Sammy his last few haircuts," she whispered.  
  
"Are you trying to trick me into taking a nap?" Laney asked as he turned to look Lois in the eyes.  
  
"Oh, no, I would never... But, if I was, would you say it was working?" Lois asked. Laney nodded. She drew small circles with her fingers on his head. "Clark's a master at this. You never asked for me unless you'd just had a nightmare. Remember?" Laney made an affirmative noise as he closed his eyes. "You used to say Clark wasn't scary enough to check the closet."  
  
"Monsters couldn't eat you. You were too tough," Laney mumbled. Lois smiled and nodded.  
  
"That's right. Monsters can't eat Mama," Lois whispered before getting up to plug in his CPAP in the living room. "Hey, remember?" Laney sat up and put the mask over his nose, and he turned the machine on before laying his head back down on her lap. Lois went back to making small circles on his forehead.  
  
"I feel like you tricked me," Laney murmured.  
  
Lois leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Don't feel bad... I'm kind of an expert," Lois smiled.  
  
"Mom, are you gonna tell Dad about what happened at the park?" Laney asked.  
  
Lois sighed. "Laney, don't you think your dad should know you saw the counselor that tried to kidnap you in the city that you live in?" Lois asked. Laney covered his face.  
  
"He dropped me off at that diner six years ago," Laney replied, "Mom, it's over-."  
  
"It doesn't feel over. You looked like you were gonna throw up when you saw Forrester. What happened?" Lois asked. "Lane, please..."  
  
Laney sat up and took the mask off. "He convinced me that he was the only person that cared about me... That he could be my new family. I spent all my free time in his office. We'd play board games, read books, sometimes he would call me son, and let me sleep in his office...  
  
It wasn't until that day that things started to feel weird. When we were in the car, and he started telling me about my new name, I felt like I was gonna throw up. I did throw up, and I couldn't stop crying... And when you guys came to pick me up from the diner, all I could think about was how much trouble I'd be in if I told the truth," Laney explained.  
  
"You wouldn't have gotten in any trouble... Laney, I knew something was wrong. I did. I just thought you would tell us eventually. Remember that night you couldn't go to sleep, so you woke me up and told me you felt like you were gonna throw up?" Lois asked.  
  
Laney shrugged. "I didn't really feel sick... I was just scared," Laney confessed.  
  
"I know. I knew then. We all sort of knew something was wrong... But then you started school with Conner, and you seemed okay again," Lois whispered.  
  
"Mom?" Laney asked. "Are you gonna tell Dad?"  
  
"I think we should tell him," Lois replied before handing Laney her phone. Laney nodded and called Clark.  
  
"Hi, Lois. I was just about to call you," Clark answered.  
  
"Um, Clark... Something happened a little earlier," Lois whispered. Laney took the hair tie out of his hair and pushed it back.  
  
"My counselor spoke to us at the park today," Laney added.  
  
"That must've been nice-."  
  
"No, babe, listen. He's not talking about his college counselor. He's talking about his counselor from boarding school. Mr. Forrester?" Lois replied.  
  
"Beg your pardon?" Clark asked, a hint of rage coloring his usually cheerful voice. Laney let out a few breaths. "What is he doing in Gotham?"  
  
"I don't know... I just wanted you to know that we saw him," Lois replied, "Where's Conner?"  
  
"He wanted to pick Sammy and Chris up from school," Clark replied, "Lane, I think it's best if you press charges."  
  
"I'll think about it-."  
  
"Think about it? Laney, he kidnapped you-."  
  
"But he never hurt me. I just want to un-say all of this. I just want to pretend it never happened and enjoy the rest of my weekend with Mom," Laney replied, "I saw him... I freaked out, and he probably knows better than to approach me again. It's okay. I'm fine."


End file.
